


He's Insane! No, He's Brilliant.

by DreamingStoriesInOurSleep



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Civil War, Duh He's A Vampire, F/M, Flashbacks, Forgive Me If I Forgot Anything, I Don't Even Know, I don't know, I'm Putting Vomiting In Because I Don't Like It Yet I Wrote It, I'm RAMBLING, I'm Stopping Now Before I Embarrass Myself, Mainly Brothers, Mentions of Rape, Minor Character Death, Sort of Lilo, They Are Sort Of Minor Character Deaths, Vampires, Vomiting, You Decide, brothers in arms, sort of ziall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-28 08:51:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 49,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6322921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamingStoriesInOurSleep/pseuds/DreamingStoriesInOurSleep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry Styles is a Serial Killer. Cait is a Uni student that is taking a dual course in Psychology and Journalism and on a chance encounter at her favourite Cafe, Cait meets Harry and her life is turned upside down when she takes his story on as her mid-term assignment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Meeting

*Cait’s POV*  
Cait looks up from her usual spot in the café as she feels the presence of someone watching her. Her laptop showing yet another pop-up as she growls lightly under her breath at the screen. Cait closes her eyes for a second, her fingertips pressing gently to her temples as she tries her best to subdue the rising anger. Cait forcefully flips her laptop closed and gets up to get another soy mocha, accidentally knocking her keys from the table. She bends over to pick them up and yet again, the feeling of being watched over comes her as she stands quickly to look around the café seeing people eating, laughing and drinking their beverages whilst some are on devices, but none are looking at her. Cait sighs at her over-active imagination and walks to the front counter, constantly keeping an eye on her laptop, only a few feet away. Even though she has come to the same café after her classes for four years since she began her university course on Psychology and The Mind with a side study of Journalism and Writing, she still doesn’t trust her laptop being out in the open.

As Cait sits back down at her table with a fresh cup of mocha, sipping it ever so carefully, she notices a note. One that is not scribed in her handwriting, one that has not fallen from her books from a study from today. Cait is intrigued but deeply confused as she had kept an eye on this very table, only breaking said contact for a couple of seconds to order and pay. As she lifts the light pink paper and unfolds it, a single flower falls from the page.

As she gazes at its simple yet alluring petals she instantly recognizes it from somewhere. Cait immediately flips open her laptop and types into the Google search bar “Flower Meanings” hoping that her questions may be answered. Cait’s eyes flicked through the flower names until she reached her flower. Holding the flower closer to the screen to match images, Cait stops breathing. The begonia flower, “Whilst beautiful when viewed upon with its rounded petals and vibrant alluring colours, the begonia is known to hold the symbol or meaning of danger or beware.”

She quickly placed the yellow flower next to her laptop as she picked up the piece of paper, reading the neat text written on the pink sheet that is written in cursive script. Very…Elizabethan, she thinks to herself and her class today on the studies of William Shakespeare and his famous pieces of work.

“In which you sigh and breathe,  
I cannot look away.  
Your simple sweet face,  
Haunts my thoughts today.  
I hear your heartbeat,  
As it quickens and slows.  
To your cheeks and neck,  
Through your heart how it shows.  
For I have watched you of late,  
Your beauty grows within you.  
Please do not fear this monster,  
For I have loved once too.”

Her mind seems to be running a mile a minute, but before she can slow it down to think on the note a boy sits in front of her. Asking a question, and yet she cannot hear him, for her mind is still reeling. His sweet dimples showing as he smiles a genuine smile towards her, his curly hair pulled back by a bandana, adorning the British flag. Cait finally snaps out of her daze to focus on the boy in front of her.

“Hello?” His thick British accent invading her ears, making her smile.

“Hi” Cait quietly returns, wondering why he chose to sit at this exact table when many others were free.

“Please do not fear me, for I have once feared too.” His comment sounding somewhat familiar to her.

“What? Why do you say that?” She is puzzled, only now does his words finally fall into place. “What did you mean by “do not fear this monster?” from what I have seen, you are no monster.”  
He looks at Cait with an amused smirk. “Well, you are quick to piece each little clue together.”  
“You make it easy when you quote your own writing, when not two seconds ago I had read it.” She retorts, suddenly finding confidence against the mysterious stranger.  
He seems pleased by her sudden confidence boost and takes it upon himself to be polite and introduce himself. “My name is Harry. Harry Styles. I’m sure that you have heard of me?”

She was confused. No, since when has she heard of a Harry Styles. He was no one famous, nor was he a friend. Suddenly, it seemed to fall into place. Her head shot up as she realized that she was talking to a serial killer. The Harry Styles! He was infamous for being a “real lady killer” as the tabloids would say. Cait had studied multiple articles on his victims. He prayed on them, led them on and then killed them. He was different, each of his victims was drained of blood, usually from the neck or wrists.  
Studying the cases in class, she learnt not only how to read people, but she also learnt on how to deal with breakdowns. Having a side study of journalism also allowed her to delve deeper into the words in which people used to describe individuals like Mr. Styles.

“Mr. Styles, I believe that you are a wanted man. What, per say, are you doing out in the open. The majority of your victims have been found at night, whilst it’s raining and or hanging from their feet in an alley way, and might I say,” as Cait looks out of the café window. “You do not have me in any of those situations, so if you are willing to kill me as I am now, you will be breaking your traditions, therefore, no longer being the serial killer you are known to be.” Cait shocked herself as she spoke, giving off a sort of confident aura, even though she was freaking out on the inside. She assumed that it was the previous studies on Mr. Styles that had given her the upper hand.

After both of the classes had moved on from the case studies of said Mr. Styles, Cait was too intrigued to let his story go. Cait went straight to the café that night and typed in his name, hoping to find something more than just a few petty articles. Sadly, that’s all she could find. Her midyear assignment for Psychology and The Mind was coming up soon and since she already knew the topic in which she wanted to study, she asked her professor if she could start research immediately, getting an information slip that allowed her into case studies from asylums, police and original reports from journalists.

So here she is, sitting at the café with her case studies on the infamous serial killer sipping her soy mocha as her computer shows yet another pop-up and who else but The Harry Styles walks in and sits down with her, almost as if he knows that she is studying him. His eyes seem to sparkle with amusement, but seem to grow darker as he notices that she is not fazed by his presence.

*Harry’s POV*  
Most of the time girls run screaming if he is seen. Most of the time he has to silence them, take them to a dark alley way before he tells them to run again. He loves the chase, the screams, because he knows that they are for him. He can tell that she is different to the rest, He can tell that Cait won’t run or scream.

He can’t tell why she is like this, but he finds it alluring and dangerous, like himself. He knows that she will be a hard one to crack, and yet he can’t seem to take his eyes off of Cait’s. The way that her blue eyes stare into his green eyes like they have a million questions, but they do not dare speak as they are afraid of the answer. Her eyes are staring into his as they almost analyse him from just looking at her. Her eyes then break the contact that they shared and look over his face, stopping at his lips which curl at her analysis.  
“Are you quite done yet?” His thick British accent cutting the silence between them. He notices every move that she does, whether it’s her chest slowly rising and falling with each un-faltering breath, or it’s her neck as she swallows yet another mouth full of her soy mocha beverage, but his most favourite, is when she licks her lips, allowing him to watch her wet tongue trace her pink lips. The lips are his most favourite parts of the woman’s body, he is sure that each victim is pampered with light kisses on their lips during the consumption of their blood so that they are to taste themselves as he kills them softly.

He can still faintly remember the coppery taste of his last victim. He can still feel the last tremors that shook the body before they became lifeless and limp, but most glorious of all, he can still hear the last choked screams as they passed out in his arms. He shook his head to rid himself of the images before his blood lust got the best of him.  
“I heard that you were studying me, so I thought that you would like to know from the person himself. So? Are you willing to be my psychologist for a couple of months until your mid-year is completed?” Harry smirked at her now shocked expression. “Huh. Of course I need to know the name of my doctor before I can receive treatment.”

“I hardly think that I will be treating you, but if you wish to let me be your ‘Psychologist’ as you say, then I would be honoured. For now, it’s Dr. Mitchell.” She smirked, internally screaming in joy as she didn’t have to read through these crappy reports.

“Believe me, the pleasure is all mine.” He winks and then takes her hand in his, kissing the knuckles lightly.

“One condition!” His eyebrow arches questioningly, but nods for her to continue. “You let me tape all sessions, if there is something that you don’t like we can edit it out later when we watch over them again.”

He agrees but also has a condition in which he would like for her to consider. “One condition of my own.” Cait imitates him and raises an eyebrow, resulting in a sly smirk from him accompanied by a dry chuckle. “You don’t take notes through our sessions, therefore you do not inform the police or anyone that you are talking to me until your mid-year assignment is due, and by that time, I will be gone.”

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's like the worst first chapter ever but hear me out! Love you guys xx


	2. Uncovering Mr. Styles

*Cait’s POV*  
Cait still had so many un-answered questions, like, “How did you find me?” “How do you know so much about me?” and most importantly, “Why me?” Her classes of Psychology and The Mind of course required her to research some of ‘History’s Greatest Psychopaths’, well that’s what Professor Hardings called it.

Cait knew that along with her research slip she was also given access to people’s wards allowing her to interview said ‘Psychopaths’ under strict supervision, but this was crazy. Cait was sitting in her Psycho-analysis lecture next to her best friend, mindlessly taking notes on her laptop that she promised to study later, but she couldn’t help let her thoughts wonder as she removed the pencil from behind her ear to write a note in her diary, forgetting it briefly, resulting in her lightly tapping her pencil end on the note paper of her diary.

Cait’s chain of anxious actions does not go unnoticed by her friend, starting from the mindless note taking, which by Cait, is never done unless something is seriously bothering her. Damn these lectures, giving each other the leverage to read one another’s actions and words.

“What’s got you so uptight?” Ebony asked her, her eyes analysing you closely. Soon her eyes widen, catching onto something. “You met someone! You finally met a man, or woman, however you wanna go.” As much as Cait loved Ebony, she really had lost it. Cait has known Ebony since orientation day at Brit U, they have been best of friends since she told Cait of her love of all things music and theatre, but now she has really lost it. “Cait, come on! You can tell me!”

“Ebony, I haven’t met someone, I’m just really into my assignment and I can’t decide what to do.” It was part of the truth, but Cait knew that if she told Ebony that she had made her mind up so soon, Ebony would beg and plead for Cait to tell her, and she knew that eventually she would give in, therefore breaking Har-Mr. Styles’ wishes to keep this quiet. Cait could tell that Ebony wasn’t 100% convinced, but she would leave it at that for now.

“Alright, but if you do find someone, I have to meet them. I am, after all, the judge of what’s right and wrong for you.” She says as her tongue playfully sticks out, Cait mirrors her action, not noticing Professor Hardings standing at the bottom of the auditorium looking up at Cait and Ebony.

“Are you sure I am not keeping you from your more important conversation girls?” His eye brows raise as he points them out in front of the lecture class, making all heads turn towards them.

“We were just talking about the mid-year assignments whilst trying to understand how we are to analyse the suspect’s emotional reactions to the set questions when the majority of them are dead or on death row.” Cait replied, keeping a straight face, whilst Ebony struggles to keep the smile off of her face.

“Very well, next time, wait until after class girls so that you can ask me in private and will not disrupt the rest of those trying to learn.” Professor Hardings spoke, his voice becoming less harsh and analytical.

Ebony turns towards Cait and whispers a quick thank-you before turning her attention back to the power point, allowing her to return back to her thoughts on the mysterious Mr. Styles.

Class soon concludes and Cait is free for the rest of the day, so she decides to go straight home, leaving the café for another day as she wants to just relax and try and get her mind off of the infamous serial killer that is now her client and main focus for her assignment.

She decides that due to the day being so nice and cool, that she would walk home, living only ten blocks away from Uni. Cait approaches the last block before she gets home and hears a familiar voice that makes her jump causing her heart beat to speed up.

“Once I heard that someone was interested in my case, that wasn’t some old fat guy who wanted to probe my brain, I was intrigued. I ended up asking the nurses and past psychologists who you were. From there I found that you were studying Psychology and The Mind, coming to the only top end University that was famous for their students acing this course, I convinced the receptionists to let me know if you were a student here.  
As for why I chose you, you make me remember who I am. You are dangerous yet alluring, like me. You are smart and beautiful. You are everything that I need to keep me grounded and yet I can’t stand you. Any other questions?” He finally steps into view on his question, wiping the corners of his mouth.

Cait was shocked, how did he know about those questions, those three specific questions that have circulated through her mind these past three days since she has spoken with him at the café? Cait wanted to speak but he cut her off before she could utter a word.

“Invite me in and I will tell you how.” He’s gotta be some type of mind reader. A psychic? Is he laughing at her now? Oh god! Stop thinking and just walk in the house. As she walks through the door to her small yet appropriate house she hears Mr. Styles clear his throat.

“Uh, love? Can you let me in?” His voice sounds almost, sincere? Was that the correct word to use?

“If I am to be your ‘Psychologist’” she says with air quotations “then you are not to call me ‘love’ this is strictly business, that’s all. If you must, call me Caitlyn. I am sorry if I have ruined your plans to try and lure me in, but you will have to try a lot harder to get me to fall for you Mr. Styles. Please come in.” She says, a look of seriousness in her eyes. She turns back around to continue walking into her living room, but a hand on her wrist prevents her from walking any further.

“I haven’t once thought about killing you. You are much too important to me. I like calling you love, it makes me feel like you are, well, mine. As for keeping this just ‘strictly business’” he says with a serious face then pressing his torso up against her back to lean down and breathe in her ear “the name is Harry, no Mr. Styles, please.”  
Cait pulls away quickly, her breath slightly hitched at the close proximity of his body. For those few split seconds she felt how firm his torso was, she could smell his unique scent, she felt his hot breath against her ear as he whispered his pet name for her, the one that she despises, yet it’s slowly growing on her, but most of all, she could feel how cold he was through his thin black t-shirt. Cait could see how he lured his victims in so easily. He was a walking sex god, yet she knew to not cross that path, for this was her future and grades on the line.

“Shall we get started?” Cait asked simply, pulling out her camera and placing it onto the tripod she had set up last night, positioned in front of two chairs. She motioned for him to sit down on the far chair, facing towards the camera. Cait looked through the camera to ensure that she had zoomed in far enough so that only he was seen through the lens, but as she did so, she noticed his eyes locked onto hers as he speaks.

“You know that I love the sound of your heartbeat speeding up as you look into my eyes.” Somehow he could hear her heartbeat, speeding up further as that thought crossed her mind. “I guess that I should tell you how I can hear all of these things that I shouldn’t. Well dear, start recording, because I’ll have to show it to you later when you wake up from fainting.” Cait smirks at his comment, but notices that he is not smiling or laughing. She wipes the smile off of her face as she hits record and sits in her chair.  
“So Mr.-” He raises his eyebrows, making her stop for a second before correcting herself. “Harry. How is it that you can seemingly read my mind and hear my heartbeat when I am so far away from you?” Cait asks with the same voice as she would if she was interviewing someone for a job position.

“Well you see love, each of my victims have been drained of blood, I can convince anyone to do anything, including not screaming until I ask them to, but most of all, I am forever cold, never am I warm, and I know that you could feel that through my shirt when I pulled you in earlier. I am dead, love, and I think that the most appropriate word to use is ‘Vampire’. For you see I can read your mind, I can hear your thoughts, I can hear your heartbeat as it quickens and slows, I can hear your blood as it rushes through your veins, through your neck and cheeks. I watch your every movement closely, even though I am on the other side of the room, like I am standing beside you. I can move quicker than your eyes process it, for now” he flashes to kneeling in front of her making Cait jump slightly “I can see you closer, and hear you clearer. You intrigue me, love and I cannot come to terms with how much you affect me. You have read about all of my victims being drained of their blood, well that is my life source. I love the neck and wrists, apart from a woman’s lips, the neck is the first place in which I taste my victims. The lips are the one place in which people show love, therefore during the consumption of their blood, I pamper their lips with kisses so that they may taste themselves, as well as feeling more comforted as I forcefully pull them into an eternal slumber. I am sorry if I have scared you or freighted you. Please believe me when I say that I do not wish for you to feel threatened. I wish for you to know that I would never take your life. You intrigue me love, you do not anger me or tempt me, well not in that way.” He says as he winks then finally stands and returns to his seat at a normal pace.

Before she realizes, it’s been an hour since she asked her initial question and she had to stop the session. Sadly, Harry soon realized and an expression of worry crossed his face. Cait stood from her chair, turning off the camera and thanking Harry for sharing so much with her. “You haven’t scared me Harry. You’ve surprised me. I’m not sure what to believe now.” He flashes in front of her, his hand hesitating slightly before brushing his knuckles against her cheek. She jumps slightly at his quick movements, but more so at his hand brushing her cheek. Cait is surprised at what he says next.

“If you do not know what to believe, then believe me. Believe my story and that I am real.” Harry says, compassion filling his eyes before they turn black and he pulls away quickly, his hand dropping to his side as his head turns away from her, almost ashamed of letting her see his true side.

“Please, don’t-“ is all Cait can get out before he vanishes, leaving the front door wide open. She is breathless, wondering what just happened, but somewhere inside, she knows that she had just seen a small amount of Harry’s true side and it excited her more than anything, but as quickly as she saw him, he was gone. “Harry?” Cait whispers into the empty room, knowing that he was long gone by now, but hoping that he still heard her. Cait sighs heavily as she packs up and then retires for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm updating again soon. I hope you guys like this story, I promise that it's getting better. Love you guys xx


	3. The Murder Of Julie Thompson

*Cait’s POV*  
Cait woke up in the clothes that she wore yesterday, the TV showing a breaking news story, she got up to get dressed, but stopped when she heard his name.

“Is this another brutal murder by the infamous serial killer Harry Styles, or do we finally have a copy-cat on our hands? The police are still investigating the young victim’s body, but it seems that whomever has done this, did it quickly. The body has once again been drained of blood, but instead of being hung upside down from their ankles, the victim, who has now been identified as Julie Thompson, has been decapitated. Is this a new turning point for Harry Styles? Or are we faced with a copy-cat that wants their fifteen minutes in the lime light? Back to you Jason.” The voice of the news reporter faded into the back of Cait’s mind as she focused on what Amelia Light was saying. Is this a new victim of Harry?

“The full story later on the 7am news.” Brilliant that gave her thirty minutes to get ready for her session with Harry at 9. Cait rushed to the shower and washed quickly, her mind reeling as she dried herself and slipped into a pair of jeans and a nice top. Cait pulled a cardigan onto her shoulders just as the news began.

“Good Morning. Today we have gotten breaking news about another brutal murder, possibly at the hands of the well-known serial killer Harry Styles. Please note that viewer discretion is advised. The victim, Julie Thompson, was found drained of blood with her head removed. She was not, however, found hanging by her feet, giving the police the idea of a copy-cat at large.” Cait didn’t know why, but she had hoped that it was a copy-cat and not Harry.

“The police are baffled, they do not understand how the victims can be completely drained of blood and yet no blood is found at the scene. The victims are always dressed, showing no signs of rape or struggle. This could however mean that the murderer is stronger than all of his victims.” Cait scoffs at the screen, knowing things that they don’t. Of course he is stronger, there is no blood because he drinks it. He’s loyal to his victims, he lets them keep their dignity in exchange for their lives. Cait thinks back to when she met him on the street yesterday. He walked out of the darkness of the alleyway, wiping the corners of his mouth. He had just fed and then both of them just walked away? Cait hears a light tapping at her door and turns the news off, realizing that its quarter to nine. He’s early and Cait’s pissed.

“Good Morning love.” His British accent filling her ears, making her want to smile, but she forced herself to keep the hard stare on his eyes. “What’s wrong? Did you forget that I was a killer? Did you think that I would just give it up now that I am talking to you? Well think again sweetheart.”

“I trusted you, deep down, I thought that you would get better. I wanted to help you stop. She was seventeen Harry! She was still a kid!” Cait was beyond mad now. She pulled him in by his t-shirt and he followed her to the lounge room, sitting in the same chair that he did yesterday. She turns the camera on and pushes the button to start recording, sitting down in her seat before telling herself to calm down.

“Harry. Did you kill Julie Thompson yesterday afternoon?” She stares at him, ensuring that she showed pure professionalism. Harry lowered his head, almost appearing to feel guilty.

“Yes.” Harry said quickly, almost as if now regretting his actions from the day before.

“Harry? Are you alright? Did you want a few minutes?” Cait was concerned now, Harry never showing this much emotion. She thought that Harry only had one side to him, but here he was proving her wrong.

“No, I just-” Was he choking up? “I didn’t mean to let you down. I’m sorry that she was just a child. I was, my blood lust got the best of me. I didn’t want you-. I-I was stupid, stupid.” He started to ball his fists up and hit his head, not caring about the pain.

“Harry, Harry! Stop, please stop. You need to stop.” He continued his violent actions until Cait walked over to him and lightly placed her hands over his fists. “Please.” He stopped and looked up to her, his eyes full of regret, while his eyebrow was cut. Cait kneels down to match her eye line with his. His eyes never breaking contact with her. She sighs, his eyebrow starting to heal instantly.

“I’m so sorry.” He says in a quiet whisper as his head leans against her chest. She freezes slightly, before putting her hands on top of his head, gently rubbing her fingers through his curls, trying to calm him. Soon she could feel Harry pull his head back up and sniffle lightly before pulling away completely.

“Do you want to stop?” He simply shakes his head solemnly. Cait nods once and sits back down in her chair, his eyes never breaking from hers.

“Tell me Harry, what is it about women that you prefer over men?” His eyes glisten at her question, liking the question he responds after a moment’s pause to think about the correct answer.

“I always think of my killings as personal. I choose females because I see myself as being the comforter. It’s personal because I can kiss them as I take their life, make them feel safe. They scream and run, yes, but I try and make them feel safe, try and make them trust me. I can compel the women to stop screaming and stop running, but I never compel them to feel safe, that’s my job.” He seems pleased with his answer, yet also a hint of remorse crosses his face, before he wipes it away.

It’s almost as if he still feels the slight pang of regret for Julie. “I do you know. I feel bad. I knew that she was young, but not that young. I don’t, well I don’t usually, touch anything under the age of twenty.” It was true. Harry’s victims were always between the ages of 20-25. Julie was his first young victim and he felt bad. “Stop thinking about her. Stop saying her name!” Cait would never get used to him hearing her thoughts, but she tried to not let her mind wander to the young girl. She wanted to ask him about her but she knew that it would hurt him too much, Cait had an idea. “What is it?” He questions.

Cait shuffles her chair closer to him, not saying anything. She readjusts the camera to ensure that she isn’t blocking him and she looks back into his eyes. He said that he liked personal, so she was going to give him personal. Cait reached her hands out and placed them lightly on top of his, causing him to jump lightly at the warmth of them. His eyes shifted from hers to her hands. He didn’t speak a word but he questioned her with his eyes.

“Harry, why was Julie different? Why didn’t you hang her like your other victims? Why was she different?” Harry breaks eye contact with her, not wanting this to be personal. “Harry, please look at me. I am helping you to get over this, so please, let me help.” He looks up at Cait as a single tear rolls down his cheek.

“I could hear you coming, I couldn’t let you see me like this. My blood lust got the better of me as I needed her to be quiet.” Harry mumbled quietly.

“It’s alright,” She said, gently rubbing her thumb across the top of his hand. “But why didn’t you compel her to be quiet. You said you could do that right?” His eyes filled with more sorrow as he looked up at Cait then down to the floor quickly.

“I didn’t even think of using compulsion. I’m such an idiot.” His hands once again flew up to his head to start beating himself, throwing her hands off and making Cait hit herself square in the nose.

“Damn it!” Cait cursed as her hands flew to her nose which was now bleeding and throbbing with pain. She looked up to see Harry’s wide green eyes turn completely black as his top lip curls up enough to see his canines sharp and elongated. “H-Harry?” He immediately turns his head away from Cait sensing the fear in her voice, the very thing that spurs him on, and she knew that he was going to run out of the house, but just as he stood, Cait grabbed his wrist and he stopped dead in his tracks. “Don’t.” She says simply. He still had his head turned away from her. Cait completely forgot about her bloody nose and reached her hand up to his cheek to turn him back to her. He flinched, smelling the blood on Cait’s hands as they rested on his cheek. He slowly turned his head back to her and his eyes were still black and cold. “Harry,” She whispers and sees his eyes quickly change to green, then back to black.

“I-I can’t.” He growls before running out of the room, she hears the door slam and she stays frozen. Cait quickly run towards the sink and wets the cloth lying on the edge of the bench and wipes her face down before washing her bloodied hands. Cait walks over to the chairs to stop the camera recording when she sees two blood drops on the floor. She curses to herself, presses the record button to stop it and walks back to the kitchen to retrieve the cloth.

*Later that day*  
Cait plugged the camera cable into her laptop and pressed play. Watching over the interview from later today she takes notes. Observing Harry’s emotions and body language. Just as Cait gets to her idea she notices Harry’s facial expression. He honestly didn’t know what she was thinking, but she could tell that he was trying. What was stopping him from reading her thoughts? Cait paused the video to write an extensive note when she saw a facial expression that wasn’t there one second ago. She put the pencil down as she took it frame by frame. Cait notices that at 2:24 Harry’s face was confused, but then at 2:25 Harry’s face turns to the side facing the window like he’s looking at someone. 2:26 he turns his head back to see her standing, she is confused by his actions as he is someone who likes continuous eye contact. She plays the tape normally, but she doesn’t hesitate to write down the specific times and what his actions are. Cait notices that he is shocked to see her stand and sit directly in front of him. She continues to write notes on the session until the tape comes up to his change.

“Harry,” she hears herself whisper on the tape, but what she sees next surprises her. Once again, she takes the session, frame by frame and gasps as she sees a smirk tug at his lips when his eyes changed back to green, then, just as they turn back to black, the snarl reappears. Cait quickly writes; “It’s almost as if he has a demon inside of him controlling him as his blood lust comes over him. I can tell that he wants to fight it, especially around me, this is evident in the tape as his eyes change back to green for a split second before they return to black, but it’s like he doesn’t know who I am when he changes.”

Cait then continues to play the recording frame by frame as he speeds out of her house, only noticing his face turn back to look at hers, pure regret written all over his features.  
She pauses the video and zooms in on his face. His eyes are green. He changed back. She was dumbfounded. So why did he run if he had changed back? Cait closed her laptop as she heard a knock at her door. Looking at the clock before walking down the hall she noticed that it was 8:30pm.

Who would knock at her door this late? Cait knew her neighbour was away on holiday and Ebony was probably out with her boyfriend. Cait opened the door to see a small bouquet of purple Hyacinths. She knew that they meant sorry, and she knew that Harry had hand delivered them. A small white card was placed in between the petals. She noticed the cursive script that her name was written in. Harry.

“You are a smart young woman Caitlyn. I know that you will understand the meaning of these flowers. Please note that I did not mean for you to get hurt. I will see you on Friday for our next session. Until then love.” Cait breathes in the scent of the flowers and closes the door. Harry is watching her from her garden. He smiles as she inhales the scent of the flowers, smiles and then closes the door. He is glad to see that she isn’t hurt or angry, he turns and walks down her street, whistling contently to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whaddya think? Love you guys! xx


	4. The Confrontation

*Cait’s POV*  
Cait rolls over in bed, smiling to herself as she sees the two different types of flowers in the one vase, perfectly arranged in between each other. She’s happy today as she has no classes and no sessions with Harry so she can just relax and be herself. She sits up quickly in bed, hang on. She didn’t remember going to bed, nor did she remember putting her flowers in a vase. She pushes the sheets off of her body and shivers, it’s then that she realizes that she is wearing her pj’s…with no underwear. “What happened to me?” she mutters to herself as she walks into the bathroom. Cait couldn’t smell alcohol on her breath, nor did she feel one bit hung over or have the side effects of being drugged. She brushes her unruly hair and goes to strip off her shirt when a voice makes her jump.

“Might I say, you have a beautiful bed, yet you never use it? Tell me love, why?” Cait was dumbfounded. How did he, what was he, did he? “What? If you want an answer, you’ll have to finish your sentences.” Harry says as he smirks at her, walking closer to her. Cait walks backwards until her back hits the bathroom sink. His pelvis presses against hers and her mind races. “Slow down love, I can’t concentrate on all of those thoughts.” Cait decides to voice her next thought instead.

“W-why are you topless?” She stutters quietly. Harry presses his nose against her ear and she can hear him inhale deeply. “H-Harry. This is not p-professional in the slightest.” She stutters again, cursing him for having this effect over her.

“Who said that we have to be professional?” Harry mumbles, now breathing in her scent as he moves his nose down the side of her neck, brushing against her neck ever so slightly. “I love your scent. It’s just you. You smell like the flowers that I have given you, whilst smelling like bubble-gum. Hmm, your blood smells delicious too.” What? Did he just smell my blood? Cait thinks to herself as she pulls away, looking into his eyes which are completely black now. His canines showing clearly now as he growls lowly making a shiver run down her spine. What happens next takes Cait by surprise. Harry lowers his head to her neck. She flinches, expecting him to bite her, but instead he places a soft kiss to her pulse point. She gasps and sits up realizing that she was just dreaming. God, what is wrong with her?

Cait got up and looked at her watch. It’s 11am and she has a class at 12. She walked into the bathroom to brush her hair and immediately regretted the move as she thought back to her vivid dream with Harry. It’s ridiculous to have those sorts of dreams about her client.

“And what sorts of dreams would they be love?” Cait heard Harry’s voice in her ears. She looked around her bathroom to find it empty. She walked out of the bathroom to look around her combined kitchen and living room to also find it empty. She walked to the front door and pulled her cardigan that was on the back of the couch, over her shoulders as she open the front door to see Harry standing there with a soy mocha in his hand. “You were dreaming of me?” He smirked and welcomed himself inside.

“How did you talk to me? Oh wait!” Cait says as she holds her hands up at face level then grabs his wrist, pulling him into the living room and sitting him down in his chair. He chuckles at her childish excitement as she presses the record button and asks him the same question.

“I am able to project my voice as far as my hearing can go. I have never truly tested it to see how far that is. Any more questions?” He asks and she wishes that she could voice a lot more questions, but as she looked at the clock she quickly hit the stop record button and ran to her bedroom, completely forgetting about her dangerous guest.

*Harry’s POV*  
I watched her as she looked up to the clock and her eyes widened. She has such beautiful eyes. She caught me off guard as she ran past me quickly and her bedroom door slammed. I laugh lowly to myself at her actions and question why she is in such a rush. I hear her mutter in her bedroom “Where the hell-Uh huh! There you are!” I can’t help but laugh again. She’s cute, but I can’t let myself get too close. Why, I cannot say, but I know that she is dangerous to me. She distracts me and I do not get distracted. That’s why she is dangerous. Before I realize anything she is falling. I speed over to her and wrap her in my arms. Her deodorant filling my nose and I growl lightly, her true scent being masked by this fake one. Her heart beat speeds up as I hold her closer to my chest, possessively. I would break if she were to hurt herself and so I have found the reason as to why she is dangerous to me. She has a connection with me.

*Cait’s POV*  
Cait threw on her jeans, that she finally found, and a top then her cardigan whilst quickly spraying herself with deodorant and running through her house whilst putting her shoes on resulting in her tripping, only to be caught by Harry’s strong arms, wrapping around her and holding Cait close to his chest. “T-Thank-you.” She stuttered, adrenaline pumping through her body at her near fall.

“You’re welcome, but why the rush?” Harry says calmly as he turns Cait around and pulls her messy hair up into a bun, his slender fingers then running down her now exposed neck, making her shiver.

“It is quarter to twelve and I should be at Uni in fifteen minutes, it takes at least twenty by car.” He chuckles and drops his hands to his side. Cait looks at him questioningly, like he knows something but won’t tell her.

“If you wanted a lift,” he says as he lifts her onto his back, earning a sharp intake of air from Cait. “you should have just asked.” Harry says as he walks normally out of the house, grabbing her laptop, camera, book bag and the neglected soy mocha on the way out. He locks the front door and as soon as his feet touch the concrete a great rush of wind hits her face, causing Cait to bury her face into the back of his neck.

*Harry’s POV*  
He feels you bury your face into the back of his neck and he gets a chill run down his back. He likes the feel of your warm body pressed up against his. He likes the idea that this could be his future, but he snaps himself out of it as he reaches the University. He has stopped a street away so that he is not seen and she is not questioned on her appearance of out nowhere.

“We are here love. As you can understand that I cannot be seen, henceforth I shall drop you here. You have ten minutes until class starts. The university is just across the street. I understand that you may feel a little bit disorientated, but you will be fine. Now I want you to study hard and learn lots today. Ok?” I say as I her tap her cheek lightly and laugh at her now sarcastic expression, the whole time placing her book bag on her shoulder and her camera and laptop in her arms to cradle them.

“Yes sweetie.” She bites out which makes me laugh louder. I wink at her before giving her a kiss on her forehead and speed off. I hear her sigh before she walks across the street into Uni.

*Cait’s POV*  
Cait sips the luke-warm mocha, grateful for Harry’s kind gesture as she would have starved through the three hour lecture without the milky beverage. She walks into the lecture theatre and nods to Professor Hardings as you walk past him as he is setting up for the lecture.

“Ms. Mitchell, I assure that you and Ms. Wiggins will not disrupt our class today?” He laughs slightly as she lowers her head and nods, blushing slightly.

“Professor Hardings, I am-“ He cuts Cait off before she can fully apologise.

“It’s alright Cait, I forgive you. Now please take your seat.” He gestures to her usual spot in the theatre. She nods her head mumbling a quick thank-you before climbing the stairs to her seat. Ebony enters soon after, waving to Cait and running up the stairs to sit herself next to her, quickly hugging Cait side on and then opening her laptop to take notes. Cait lifts the coffee cup up to her lips as Ebony realizes.

“Where’d ya get that?” She asks, knowing that the café is two blocks away from the University, in the opposite direction to her house.

“A friend brought it for me.” She states coolly, hoping to avoid her gaze and questions.

“Ok class, please open up your laptops, today’s lecture is important as we will talk about your mid-years!” Professor Hardings speaks up, a mix of excited and disappointed murmurs fill the lecture theatre. Cait breathes a sigh of relief as she is saved by the professor and internally thank him. No one but Cait and Professor Hardings know that she has started her mid-year. Ebony would flip if she knew that Cait had started, let alone who she was doing her assignment on. She always said that Harry was the hottest psychopath out there, and she wasn’t wrong, but Cait wouldn’t dare cross that path now, seeing how far they have gotten, well he has gotten.

For the next three hours she takes notes on the lecture, seeing good hints and ideas that she can relate quite closely to Harry’s sessions. Cait closes her laptop as Professor Hardings wraps up the presentation with an interview that he did when he was a fourth year Psychology and The Mind student, two years ago. He researched the great Robert Hansen, who was also known as “The Human Hunter”. Hansen was a well-known serial killer in the 1970’s and 80’s. Professor Hardings shows the class his video diaries on information that he learnt, along with some exclusive footage that he acquired from the prison in which he was held captive for his life sentence, back in the 70’s and 80’s.  
Professor Hardings started with his first video diary, stating the background of Robert Hansen. 

“Hansen had a rough childhood. Robert Christian Hansen was born in Idaho on February 15, 1939. His parents were very strict and he was forced to work long hours in the family bakery. He was very anxious as a child and teen. He spoke with a stammer and was extremely timid. He had a disfiguring case of acne and felt rejected and disregarded by the opposite sex.

Hansen briefly served in the Army Reserves after graduating high school. He married in 1961 and was divorced that same year after he was arrested for burning down a school bus garage. He served 20 months in prison for the arson conviction before he was paroled.  
Over the subsequent few years, Hansen was arrested several times for petty thefts. He married for a second time in 1967 and the couple moved to Anchorage, Alaska. Hansen flourished after the move: he opened his own bakery, earned his pilot’s license, and purchased a plane. He was an avid hunter and enjoyed killing various animals for sport in his leisure time.

He was arrested two times in 1972: once for abduction/attempted rape and again for rape. He was released after serving only six months on a reduced charge. In 1976, he was convicted of larceny after shoplifting a chainsaw. He was sentenced to five years in prison for his crime, but the sentence was overturned on appeal. During his stay in prison, he was diagnosed with bipolar-effective disorder, but did not follow through with his psychiatrist’s recommendation of lithium treatment. He was released after only one year.  
Unfortunately, all of his aforementioned transgressions were only the tip of a deeply disturbed iceberg. Between 1973 and 1983, Hansen killed 17 women and raped an additional 30. He targeted prostitutes and exotic dancers. His MO consisted of transporting the women to his wilderness retreat via airplane where he brutally raped them. Those who did not charge him for sex were released with no further harm, but those who demanded payment met a horrible fate. After raping and torturing the latter women for days, Hansen released them into the wilderness. The women were stripped of their clothes and given a small head start. He then stalked them like animals with his hunting knife and rifle. Hansen chose topless dancers and prostitutes as his victims because they are usually transients and their disappearances are likely to go unnoticed.”

Professor Hardings then played the footage that he got from the prison, showing Hansen being asked a question and breaking down, causing guards to come in and sedate him. “As you can see class, Mr. Hansen has completely lost his mind and shows no regret for his actions, therefore leading all to believe that he was unable to be helped. That is the end of today’s lesson, I am sure that you will all have your mid-year assignments ready to be accepted and signed off by me in the next week. Oh, and remember, no one can double up on an individual that has already been chosen, so if you wish to study them first, get them in quick! One individual has already started, so you will all have to work twice as hard. Ms. Mitchell, please stay behind, I need to talk to you.” Professor Hardings looks at Cait and dismisses the class.

Ebony looks at her quizzically. “Who do you think it is that has already started?” Cait shrugs, not wanting to tell her. “You know who it probably is? Eliza! She’s always trying to be the teacher’s pet!” Ebony spits as she just looks at her and laughs. Little does she know? “What do you think Professor wants with you?” Cait shrugs her shoulders, now completely honest as she is also confused. “Oh well! I’ll see you tomorrow?” Cait nods her head as she says her goodbyes and waits in her seat for Professor Hardings to finish with some students, clearly getting in their ideas.

Cait hears a high pitched growl. “What?! What do you mean someone already chose Harry Styles?” Eliza, once again is making a scene and Cait can’t help but roll her eyes and laugh. Cait stands and walks down the stairs towards Professor Hardings and Eliza, the three of them being the only people left in the auditorium. “It’s her” Eliza says hissing the word ‘her’ whilst pointing a finger at Cait. “isn’t it?!”

Professor Hardings has had enough as he raises his voice, something that shocks both Cait and Eliza, as he doesn’t do it often. “That is enough! Now you know that I cannot enclose who chose Mr. Styles to anyone. I am sorry Eliza, but you need to choose another subject to study. Now please go and think on that as Ms. Mitchell and I have a chat.” Eliza simply huffs and turns on her heel, ensuring to slam the door on her way out.

“I am sorry about her Cait, she was just jealous.” Professor Hardings says as he loosens his tie.

“It’s alright, I’ve dealt with her all through high school as well.” Cait says as she undoes her loose bun and runs her fingers through her long, straight hair.

“You are completely oblivious, aren’t you?” He says as he steps closer to her. She looks at him with wide eyes, hoping that he doesn’t mean what he is insinuating, as he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Mr. Hardings, I-I need to go.” Cait says, trying to walk away from him, but he grabs her wrist and pulls her closer to him. Tears start to well up in her eyes, but she pushes them back. His hands come up to trace her jaw line as she flinches. She tries to push his hand away from her face but he is stronger, getting a hold of her neck and pressing her into the wall, doing so forcefully, resulting in him hurting Cait’s back. Cait arches her back in pain as she lets out a gasp, but Professor Hardings takes it as an invitation.

“I always knew that you liked me. Just look at you arching into my touch.” He says through gritted teeth as he presses his lips to Cait’s forcefully.

“No! Professor Har-” He cuts her off with a hard slap to her face, making her head snap to the left, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Shut up! Don’t call me that. Call me Craig. Professor Hardings kind of kills the mood for me.” He says as he winks at Cait. Cait presses her hands against his chest, using all of her strength to push him away.

“What, the mood of you taking advantage and raping of one of your students?” Cait says as she slaps him back as hard as she can.

“You bitch!” He says as he raises his hand, this time in a fist. Cait squeezes her eyes shut, anticipating the contact and the cold blackness that will follow soon after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me for the cliffhanger. Love you guys xx


	5. The Confrontation Part II

*Cait’s POV*  
Only thing is, is that it doesn’t come. Cait opens her eyes slowly to find that Professor Hardings is no longer there. She looks around to see no one there. She takes this opportunity to run up the stairs and collect her things. So much for going to the café to edit and take notes, now all she wanted to do was go home and not leave bed for an eternity.

Cait turned around and is met with a strong torso. She screamed but is met with his green eyes. “Caitlyn are you alright? God I came as soon as I heard. I’m so sorry.” He mumbles into her hair as he pulls her into his chest.

*Harry’s POV*  
I heard her gasp in pain. I knew that she hadn’t just tripped over or stubbed her toe. She was in danger and I could feel my inner demon come out. She was all that was on my mind and I had to protect her. I raced into the university and looked around until I saw a sign saying ‘Psychology and The Mind: Lecture Theatre’. I heard her heartbeat as I got closer. It was fast. She wasn’t just in danger, she was being threatened.

I heard the deafening sound of someone’s hand on her cheek, making my blood boil. I then heard her small hand lay across his cheek and him saying “You Bitch!” that was all I needed. I burst through the door to see him pressed up against her, his hand raised in a fist, the other one holding her neck as she tried to make herself as small as possible. He kept squeezing her slender neck tighter and tighter. Her breathing was becoming more laboured.

I rushed towards him and grabbed him by his neck. “Let’s see how you like it!” I growled lowly into his ear. I rushed him and I out to the back of the auditorium, and as much as I wanted to drain him, I thought about Caitlyn. I couldn’t let her down again, so I broke his arm and compelled him to forget about me and forget about his feelings for Caitlyn. “You will leave here forgetting about your obsession for Caitlyn. You will also forget about ever meeting me, you broke your arm by falling down the stairs of the auditorium. You will leave here and drive straight to the hospital. Good bye.” I spat into his face, trying to contain my anger.

I sped back into the auditorium to see her at the top of the stairs packing her books. I sped up to her just as she turns around and screams. “Shh, “Caitlyn are you alright? God I came as soon as I heard. I’m so sorry.” I mumble into her hair. I feel tears rise in my eyes. I could have lost her to that freak.

“Harry” She mumbles into my chest. “Take me home. Please?” I comply, picking up her things and lifting her into my arms, her head in the crook of my neck and her hands rest softly against my chest. I speed her home, the whole time failing to block out her quiet sobs. I open the door and place her books and laptop at the door. I slip her shoes off of her feet and lay her on the couch.

My heart breaks seeing her like this. She is curled up on the couch quietly sobbing to herself, her shoulders are shaking and her eyes are shut tightly. I wet the cloth that is on her kitchen sink and walk over to her, sitting her up and putting her head in my lap. I wipe her face with the cool wash cloth and then press it gently to her forehead. She finally opens her eyes and her eyes are red and dark from crying. “There she is.” I say soothingly, smiling at her. She doesn’t smile, but she takes in a deep breath.

Her tears stop as she looks into my eyes. I hate seeing them emotionless, without any light, like she’s dead. I pull her up to hold her again, reassuring myself that she is alive. Making sure that I can still hear her heart beating and hear her blood rushing through her veins. She looks up at me and tears well up again in her beautiful eyes. I rub her shoulder as she pushes the tears back. She sits up properly and then stands.

*Cait’s POV*  
Cait stands up and then turns to face Harry. “You can compel people to forget, yes?” Harry looks at her confused, but then slowly nods his head, not grasping onto what she wants him to do. “Then make me forget Harry. I can’t live with knowing what nearly happened to me today. Make me forget!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a small one, but yeah, another cliffhanger...I like them, so sue me! Love you guys xx


	6. Compulsion

*Harry’s POV*  
I couldn’t fathom what she had just said. I can’t do it, yet at the same time I felt like it was my duty to help her forget. I hated seeing her in this much pain, but I didn’t want her to hate me. I have never wanted her to see my true side. I stand up and cup her face in my hands, gently rubbing my thumbs over her red tear-stained cheeks.  
“Caitlyn, do you realize the consequences? I have never wanted to use this demon that I have been cursed with against you. If I am to compel you, I will be breaking that promise to myself, but more importantly, to you.” I looked into her eyes, mine are wide with concern and honesty. “Love, please don’t make me do this.” I say again, my eyes now filling with regret as I am making her choose between my honesty and her mental stability.

I see her eyes fill with tears again as she breaks eye contact. I can’t help but notice the single tear that runs down her cheek and onto my thumb. “Harry, I cannot live with the thought that my Psychology Professor of four years nearly-” she broke down again, resulting in me pulling her into my chest.

“Shh love, it’s alright. I know that I should have never have asked you to choose between the two. I am just worried that you will hate me for the real person that I am.” She looks up to me and locks eyes, her beautiful blue eyes staring into my green eyes.

“I-I keep you here.” I stare at her quizzically.

“What do you mean love?” She takes a deep breath before reiterating her earlier statement.

“I keep you here. I keep you grounded. I watched the tape from the interview where your other side got the best of you. You came back to me for a few seconds. It was you Harry, not the monster that takes over, but you. Your eyes were the same green that they are now. You were smirking for a small time frame, until once again, the demon inside of you won and took over your being. I can keep you grounded. Do not associate compulsion with your blood lust, but associate it with helping me, someone that is hurting and in need of you Harry, because I do. I need you.” She says as she is now holding onto my upper arms. Her body starts to shake as her knees weaken. I am quick to grab her arms as her legs give out under her body. I pick her back up into a bridal position and walk back over to the couch, placing her down before sitting next to her. She lays her head back against the couch and looks to the side towards me. She sounds so weak and I break more inside as she pleads. “Please Harry, I need you.”

I bury my face in my hands and sigh deeply. I turn back towards her and see that her eyes are closed. Her crying making her too tired to stay awake. I pick her back up and carry her to her bedroom. I pull the covers over her and kiss her forehead. “Sleep for now love.” As I close her bedroom door and walk to the front of the house to leave, I notice her notes book in which she writes her thoughts on our sessions. I stare at it for a few minutes before I decide to pull it out and read over her notes, in particular, my change. I am shocked to see how much she has written about the three mere seconds.

“Harry has no control over what seems to be a demon that comes out with his blood lust. I am sad to see that he has no control over it, but something today shocked me as he seemed to reappear for a split second, before disappearing again. The video recording that I attained has proof of this transformation, but I am yet to figure out how strong Harry can be around me. It is almost as if I am one to keep him grounded.

Truth be told, his transformation did scare me at first, but as I looked at him, the fact that he was so different intrigued me, and dare I say it? Excited me. I want to get to a point of trust where Harry can stay through his transformation. I wish for him to know that I will not fear him. I am different, and may just want to see this darker side, more often than that of his human façade.”

Indeed she is. She is different and I have known that since I saw her in the café that day, but I have never wanted the horror of what I am to be seen by her. She seems to know me so well, and yet it has only been a week since our initial meeting. She is dangerous for knowing so well about me, and yet instead of killing her or running or even making her forget, I decide to come back. I just can’t leave her, I fear that I may never leave her, for it would hurt too much.

I put her book down as I found it and walk out of the front door, ensuring to lock it. I hate to leave her in such a fragile state, but I have business to attend to first. I speed off down the street to check up on the paedophile who calls himself a Professor. I stand outside of his hospital room and project my thoughts of him into his mind. He sleeps peacefully in the hospital bed as he remembers nothing except for the fact that he broke his arm falling down the stairs. That is exactly how Caitlyn should be sleeping, but she isn’t she is tossing and turning, screaming and moaning because of the nightmares that this bastard has done to given her, and I have been too selfish to grant her one wish of making her forget. I pushed my regret aside and it was replaced with pure anger. I glared at his still body and delved into his dreams.

“What, what are you doing here?” Professor Hardings asks, scared as he thinks that this is real life. Perfect.

“Don’t you know? You’re my new victim, and you aren’t going anywhere! You will stay right here, oh and feel free to scream. No one can hear you any way.” I say, my pupils dilating and constricting. He stands there, forced, a look of pure horror written on his face.

“Please don’t hurt me.” He whimpers. Pathetic I think to myself as I laugh loudly.

“Come now Professor. You, being all Psych-y and everything, knows that when I say you are my victim, I am going to kill you, and just because it’s you, it will be slow and painful. Consider yourself lucky. All of my other victims were killed quickly, not being able to express what their dying wishes were. They weren’t even able to mutter their loved ones names as their last drops of blood left their bodies. Where as you can scream, and cry and beg all you want. For that is the one thing that makes the kill all the better, all the more” I break eye contact with him, to then quickly capture his gaze again in mine. “invigorating.” My eyes turning to their black shade, scaring him, but he is still frozen to the spot.  
“You are a sick bastard!” I speed to stand in front of him, my hand grasping onto his neck, his weak, fragile neck. I scream in his face.

“Coming from you!” I yell, making him flinch and then scream out in pain as my fangs extend and puncture his skin, drawing in my first mouthful of his coppery bitter liquid. He tastes as vile as he is. I guess the saying is correct, that you are what you eat. “You taste horrid, but because I hate you. I really don’t care.” I say again before drawing in multiple mouthfuls of his rancid blood.

I pull back and see his eyes wide with pain. He is scared as he asks shakily what I am. “Vampire, Professor.” I say as I snap his neck, ending the dream there. He sits straight up in bed and gasps. Nurses are surrounding him as his heart beats frantically. They sedated him quickly, all the while, him begging them to not let him sleep any more, fearful that he will meet me again. As he passes out, I smirk and run off to check on Caitlyn, now knowing my answer.

On my way back to her house I stop by and get her a soy mocha since she consumed three on the day I met her, giving me the idea that she fancies them. I raced to her house and stopped just outside her door when I heard her screaming. I race inside and place the hot beverage down on the bench before racing into her bedroom. I gently shake her, but she still doesn’t wake up. I then pull her into my chest and hold her there, her small hands ball up into fists and beat my chest, trying to hurt me and push me away, but it just makes me hold her tighter.

“Love, wake up. You’re having a bad dream. It’s just a dream.” I say as she finally opens her eyes. “There you go. I’m here don’t worry.” She buries her head into the crook of my neck and breathes deeply. I feel her warm breath on my neck and I pull her away before the growl escapes my lips. “You ready?” I say as I look into her eyes, looking for a scared gaze or even a fearful glance, but nothing but an empty stare is found. I grab her wrist and pull her onto her feet and into the living room. I give her, her mocha and sit her down on the couch, me kneeling in between her knees, my hands on her thighs.

“Now, I may very well lose control, resulting in me becoming something that I hate, but I want to help you. I hate seeing you like this Caitlyn.” She looks at me through blank eyes, making it hurt even more as she casually sips her hot beverage. She places her soy mocha on the coffee table and crosses her legs. I look up to her and hold her hands in mine. Her small, warm hands are the perfect contrast to mine.

“I wish this never happened to you. I wish that you didn’t feel empty inside. God I wish that there was another way, I wish that you could see me as the caring person that I am to you. I wish that you didn’t have to forget, but you do.” I let a single tear fall from my eye as I kiss her forehead and speed out.

*Cait’s POV*  
Cait blinks slowly, her eyes fluttering open and closed as she feels a wave of amnesia of the past couple of hours. What the hell happened? She sees that her notes book and laptop are open and she convinces herself that she got lost in her work again. It’s not like it isn’t a reoccurring thing. Cait continues to take notes and play the tape like nothing has happened, and as far as she is concerned, nothing has happened. Why would it? She writes her last note and realize that it’s around 5pm. Cait closes her laptop and notes book and decides to start on dinner. She picks up her soy mocha, obviously deciding to study at home and skip the café today after class, and head to the kitchen to start dinner.

*Harry’s POV*  
I sit out on her front step listening to her thoughts. Glad to see that she is smart enough to make up what has happened in the past couple of hours. I smile, happy that she is no longer breaking, but deep down inside I know that a part of her still knows what happened today, and I hope all to god that she won’t remember, for I don’t know what I will do if she ever does. I guess I could convince her that it was once a bad dream, her psyche taking control for a night, but she is smarter than that and I know it. For now, she was happy, and that’s all I need to make me happy.

Sadly, I will remember everything. Every tear, every scream, every memory and everything that I did for the girl that stole my heart. I hate to think that she will never see me for me, but I also know that deep down she saw that the day we met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a little bit sad this one, we start to see Harry's emotions. I'm so excited for you guys to read more of this story! Love you guys xx


	7. Four Point Eight Kilometers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen to Little Mix's Always Be Together this chapter, I was listening to it way back when I wrote this on repeat and this is what I came up with! Enjoy ;P

*Harry’s POV*  
I stand outside her front door and I can hear her shuffling into the bathroom and turn the water on. I let myself into her house, sitting on her couch flipping through a magazine as I hear her start to sing. Even though she isn’t trying, she has a beautiful voice. She starts humming as she obviously washes her face. The water then stops and minutes later she walks out with just a towel around her, droplets of water falling from her hair and down her neck. God what she does to me! “Good morning love.” She jumps and nearly releases her tight grip on her towel, the only thing keeping it up, making me smirk slightly.

“Harry can you not go one day without inviting yourself in?” I laugh at her red cheeks and stand and walk towards her, resulting in her walking backwards until her back hits the wall, making a small gasp escape from her lips. I look to her soft pink lips then back to her eyes, her heartbeat speeding up slightly.

“You let me in love, I just visit at, opportune times.” I say with a wink. Instead of her heart beat speeding up or her cheeks filling with blood, she laughs. She giggles actually, a sound that I would love to hear more often. “You have a beautiful laugh. I wish I could hear it more often.”

Nothing but truth passing my lips as I voice my thoughts. I can hear her thoughts about our session today. She looks doe-eyed into my eyes, knowing that I can hear her. She teases me and bites her lip as she thinks about a surprise she has for me, but she is smart to not let me hear it. She’s getting too smart for me. Little minx.

“Let me get dressed and I’ll show you.” She says, finally voicing her answer to my thoughts. For a second there, I would think that she could read minds as well. “Well?” I hear her say. Damn I let myself get distracted again. This just isn’t me! She distracts me, and Harry Styles does not get distracted. I finally feel one of her small, warm hands against my cold, firm chest and she pushes me away, once again trying to get passed, but not succeeding with my wandering mind. She giggles again at my offended stare, me obviously faking, pretending to be hurt by her gesture of pushing me away.

“Do I smell that bad?” I ask playfully as she gets into her bedroom, nods her head silently and closes the door. I project my voice into her head as I once again try to get to her.

“Maybe next time, I’ll shower with you.” I hear her sharp intake of air and then once again I hear her giggle. I smile and wait for her.

*Cait’s POV*  
Cait walks out of her bedroom and stands in front of Harry, waiting for him to put the magazine down and walk out with her. She starts to tap her foot and the action does not go unnoticed by him. He smiles knowing that he is making her impatient. He could tell from the stance when she stood in front of him initially with her arms crossed. “Come on Harry, let’s go.” His eyebrows raise at her over the top of the magazine. Cait knows that he isn’t reading the magazine and she sighs heavily. “Come on. Do you want your surprise?” Harry threw the magazine on the table and grabbed her wrist, like he was just reminded of his surprise and he, like a child, wanted it now.  
Cait giggled again and allowed him to lead the way to the front door and down to her car.

She goes to open her door but his large hand covers hers as she looks up into his eyes. “Uh, uh, uh. Allow me love.” He says, Cait moving her hand away as his opens the door and the other hand rests against the small of her back aiding her into the car. He then closes the door and speeds around to the other side. Slipping into the car, Harry turns to her and smiles, indicating that he is ready. Cait puts the key in the ignition and pulls the car out of the driveway.

The ride is quiet, a comfortable silence falling over the both of them, until his hand comes to rest over her knee. Cait looks over to him to see that he is looking out of the side window, a smile on his lips and his eyes glistening. She notices that this is the first time that she has seen him genuinely happy. Cait takes a mental note and looks back to the road, a small smile playing at her lips as she continues to drive. Half an hour passes and the radio is playing softly in the background, her favourite song “Because You Love Me” comes on and she sings quietly, looking over to see Harry with his head leant back against the headrest with his eyes closed. He was breathing heavily, but as soon as Cait hit the chorus he smiled.

*Harry’s POV*  
Listening to her voice was soothing, I loved listening to her sing. I peeped one of my eyes open to look at her. To watch how her mouth moved to pronounce the words clearly. As it came to the end of the song she smiled, she obviously enjoyed the song and she had fond memories of it. I smiled as she pulled the car into a large field. “Harry, we are here.” She says as she places a hand on my shoulder and shakes me. I open my eyes and smile at her but as I get out of the car and stretch, I turn and give her a puzzled look.  
“Love?” She looks at me with an amused smirk.

“Hmm?” She says now walking closer to me with a doe-eyed look, god the things she does to my sanity.

“Why are we in a field, in the middle of nowhere?” I say as I look over to her now setting up her camera. “I should have known that this wasn’t a date.” I say sarcastically, with just a hint of sadness.

“What was that?” She says with curiosity, walking back over to me and grabs my wrist. She walks with me in tow over to the far corner of the field and stands with her back to the corner post. God I wish I could push her up against that post and kiss her, and this is why she is dangerous. Wait, did she just say something. God, not again, how does she get me to be distracted. I just have to look in her eyes. “We are here to test you. This is my summer home and it’s deserted for miles.” She says with a small smile.

“So I could kill you and no one would know.” I say, getting closer to her. Her heartbeat speeds up before returning slowly back to normal. She’s smart, I’ll give her that.

“That wouldn’t be wise, for three reasons. 1. Ebony would notice me gone from class, and I don’t miss class unless I am seriously ill, which she always checks on me. 2. If I was found dead, Professor Hardings” I flinch slightly at his name, remembering what he did to her. “knows that I am with you, therefore you would be convicted yet again. And finally, 3. I know that you would never kill me or lay a hand on me,” she says as she holds my wrist. “because you feel like my protector. If you hurt me, you would be breaking the promise to yourself but most importantly, to me.” I once again have a wave of sadness pass over me because she quoted word-for-word what I said to her before I compelled her to forget that day.

*Cait’s POV*  
Cait pulls Harry’s attention back to her. He seems to be trailing off lately. She wonders if something is bothering him, but she pushes that thought aside as she wants to start her experiment. “Trial: Distance.” Cait says into the camera after she presses record. She turns around to see Harry still facing the post and she walks in front of him. “You can begin to walk backwards, I will continue to talk to you and we will see how far your hearing reaches.” Harry just nods and starts to slowly walk backwards.

“Harry, can you hear me?” He nods again and then his voice is heard as he continues to walk backwards. She watch his lips, but she knows that he is speaking to her through his mind. “Sing to me love. That way you don’t have to keep asking me.” Cait looks at him and he’s stopped walking now. He nods slowly and she begins to sing “Always Be Together” by Little Mix.

We are friends for life  
Hold that deep inside  
Let this be your drive  
To survive  
And just stand high and tall  
Make sure you give your all  
And if you ever fall  
Know that I’m right here

He starts to walk again, his eyes are fixed on hers as he takes slow step backwards. Cait can feel herself blush, but he just smiles and nods his head for her to continue, putting some of the butterflies to rest.

We’ll always be together  
Don’t you worry, oh  
I’ll always be by your side  
Don’t you worry  
The circle will never end  
Just know that we’ll meet again  
And we’ll always be together  
Forever always, oh  
I am here

She drops her gaze with him and looks down at her hands, her fingers playing with each other, the butterflies in full force now. “Keep looking at me love, the connection is stronger that way.” She hears his voice in her head, making her head snap up to lock eyes with him again, her heart beating furiously.

Find me in the sky  
Dancing with the moon and night  
Your heartbeat is disguised as my  
Lullaby  
Be happy and know that I’m  
Watching you travel far and wide  
Waiting for us to meet again

Cait knows that he can still hear her as he smiles at the previous sentence. Seeing his dimples and white teeth, which seems to light up his eyes, makes her smile. Cait enjoys seeing him happy. She knows that this is strictly professional, but she can’t help but feel her heart flutter as he smiles at her.

We’ll always be together  
Don’t you worry  
I’ll always be by your side  
Don’t you worry  
The circle will never end  
It’ll never end  
Just know that we’ll meet again  
We’ll meet again  
And we’ll always be together  
Forever always  
I am here

He closes his eyes now as she watches him, still making sure that he can hear her. He is three-quarters of the way across the field and when he closed his eyes she wasn’t sure whether it was because he was straining to hear her, or whether it was another reason. Was he in pain? What was wrong? Cait stopped singing, afraid that something has happened, resulting in his eyes opening. “I can hear you fine. I closed my eyes so I could savor your voice. It’s so beautiful and full of emotion, please keep singing love.” She continues, smiling to herself whilst blushing at his comment, once again feeling her heart skip a beat.

If you need me, yeah  
I’m in the wind  
Look for me friend  
I’m in the stars  
When you need me  
The heavens will send  
A message within  
Straight to your heart  
Oh  
We’ll always be together  
Don’t you worry  
I’ll always be by your side  
Don’t you worry  
The circle will never end  
Just know that we’ll meet again  
And we’ll always be together  
Forever always  
I am here  
I am here  
Yeah  
I am here  
I am here

By the time Cait had finished singing, Harry was at the other end of the field, his back pressed against the post. She could just hear his voice, it slightly faded in and out. “This is as far as I can go.” She nodded her head as she motioned for him to wait. Cait ran to her car and grabbed out the measuring device. She stood where she was earlier and pressed the on/off button and started walking. She finally reached Harry, not noticing him, resulting in her bumping into his chest, Cait screamed and jumped back. He grabbed her wrist and stopped her from falling over and she looked down to the monitor. 4.8km, meaning that Harry’s hearing and voice projection is at its limit at 3 miles.

“Three miles.” Cait says to him. He looks at her with a puzzled look. “Three miles, or 4.8 kilometers, is your maximum distance in your hearing and voice projection.” Cait looks at him and again her heart flutters. He steps closer, knowing that he heard her increased heartbeat, and she curses her emotions. What is wrong with her? Is she actually developing feelings for her client? For Harry Styles? She doesn’t notice him now, even closer than before. When she finally breaks out of her trance, she looks into his eyes which are darker as they look into hers.

His hand comes up towards her cheek and tucks a strand of loose hair behind her ear. Cait tries her hardest to keep her breathing at a normal pace as his voice invades her ears, his lips moving this time.

“May I?” A simple question, yet Cait is confused. What do you mean? She voices internally. “This.” She hears him say before he crashes his lips onto hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boo! This was a really long and boring chapter sorry! Love you guys xx


	8. The Confession

*Cait’s POV*  
His hands hold her cheeks, his thumbs brushing against Cait’s cheeks, making her relax into the kiss. His tongue traces a line along her bottom lip, asking for entry but she denies him, he growls and pushes against her lips harder.

Cait finally comes to her senses and pushes him away from her. She’s breathing hard and she can’t bear to look into his eyes, afraid that she will want to kiss him again, or worse, she will see the hurt that she has caused him. Cait keeps looking at the ground as she slowly walks back across the field to fetch the camera and pack the gear up into the car to leave but his hand grabs hers and spins her around. “We should get going. It’s getting dark and I need to get back home.” Cait pulled her hand out of his grasp and cringed internally as she knew that’s not what he wanted her to say, but she once again turned her back to him and walked across the field, this time, he did not stop her.

Harry followed closely behind Cait, but she didn’t dare turn around. She got back to the car and he immediately sat down in the passenger side seat as she opened the boot and loaded in the equipment. She walked over to the driver’s side door, sad that he wasn’t there, pulled it open and started the car.

The long ride back home was silent and awkward. Harry didn’t once look at Cait, but that didn’t stop her from looking at him occasionally, worried about him. The whole ride he spent sleeping, turned away from her and in a foetus position. She wanted to cry, to scream, but she held it in. Cait didn’t even want the radio on, so the car was silent, no conversations, no music, just silence, anger and sadness.

*Harry’s POV*  
I sat in the passenger seat as she loaded the trunk. I was furious. Not with her, with myself. I let my instincts lead me and look where it got me. She probably won’t take me for anymore sessions and she’ll go to that bastard professor and tell him that she’s changing subjects. I wanted to scream, to cry, but that wouldn’t get me anywhere, so I just curled myself into a ball on the window side and pretended to sleep. I could feel her gaze on me a couple of times and I so desperately wanted to look into her beautiful blue eyes, but I couldn’t bear the thought of her eyes being filled with anger or sadness directed towards me. I don’t want her sympathy, I just want to see those blue eyes again.

I broke the confidentiality between her and I and I hated myself for it. What I heard next surprised me though and I knew that she honestly thought that I was sleeping. She finally broke the silence after twenty minutes of the long forty-five minute drive.

“Harry, I know that you can’t hear me, but I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I freaked out when you kissed me and I just had to get away. It’s stupid for me to have feelings for you, I mean you are my patient and I really don’t want to make the mistake of getting involved and letting my heart decide whether you are a good person or not. I know that you are and that you can be, but you have to show me Harry. I know that in the end you will become a good person, but for now, I’m just not sure whether I should trust you and let you in. Oh how I wish I could let you in and love you, but until this assignment is over and I stop analysing you for the criminal you are, I can’t love you for the person you are. I’m so sorry if I have sent you mixed messages Harry, but I don’t mean to. I do love you, but I can’t. Not right now anyway.”

I listen to her speak to my sleeping form and I hear her choke up on the last couple of sentences.

I can hear her sobbing quietly now and I want nothing more than to pull her into my arms and take care of her like that dreadful day, but I can’t. My body is frozen in its place, my mind still trying to comprehend and process what she just said. She loves me? She admitted it, she loves me! I was overjoyed, but I felt hot, wet tears run down my cheeks. I closed my eyes to try and fight back more tears, failing miserably.

We finally pulled into her driveway and I was afraid that she would shake me awake again. I didn’t want to feel her warm hand on my shoulder, because it would remind me of her care for me, it would remind me that I was the cold monster that would never get the girl. I would never feel alive, and that’s all I wanted, that’s all I felt when I was with her. She made me feel like my heart was beating again and I needed her to make me believe that love is possible for me.

I remained curled up in the seat as I heard her unloading the boot. She walked up to her front door and looked back into the car to see me watching her. She smiles at me, a small almost unrecognizable smile, but I saw it. She then turns around and unlocks the door.

Her eyes are still the beautiful blue that I remember, but they hold the sadness that I heard in her voice earlier. They still hold the same disappointment that I feel. She is the first woman that I have loved since 1861, before then, I was a different man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now compared to the previous chapter, this one's a short-arse. Warning: It's gonna start getting heavy, but there is no self harm, I promise! Love you guys xx


	9. 1861

*1861 - Harry’s POV*  
She had beautiful long black hair that fell in curls around her face. She caught my attention and made me feel like no one could stop me. Her eyes were a stunning hazel that always looked into mine with such love. We spent every day of summer together by the river or climbing trees. She wasn’t at all afraid of hurting herself, even though I was. I remember Katherine climbing a tree whilst I stood on the ground looking up at her, eating an apple and laughing as her dress got caught on a branch. As she tried to pull it free she lost her footing and started to fall backwards. I dropped my apple and ran over to her and caught her, both her and my heart beating fast.

“I’ll miss you.” I say, looking into her eyes, getting lost in her doe-eyes that are wide with fear. Tears begin to brim her eyes and I break inside. “Hey, hey. Come on. I’ll be fine.” I say, wiping away a tear from her cheek. I press my lips gently to hers and place her back onto her feet. She kisses me again and I can taste the mix of our tears as they run down our cheeks and onto our lips. We pull away and pant with heavy breaths. “I leave for the war tomorrow.” I say before kissing her again. That night we both lost our virginity to each other, slowly and passionately making love whilst we confessed our undying love multiple times before she fell asleep in my arms. I woke up the next morning to her watching me.

I got up and got dressed quickly, the room filled with a silent sadness as we embraced once more before I kissed her forehead as she sat on the bed. Her eyes spilling tears as mine did the same. “Goodbye my love.” I say against her forehead. “Wait for me.” I say before closing the door on the only woman that I have ever loved. As I walk down the stairs I can hear choked sobs coming from her bedroom, which causes my eyes to spill more tears on my hot, tear stained cheeks.  


I met four other boys there that had left their sweethearts back home and all of them were scared, but none more so than Niall. There was Louis, Liam, Zayn and Niall. Niall and Zayn were long-term friends that grew up together and Zayn felt that he was protective over Niall, like Niall was his little brother and Liam and Louis met in High-school. Liam and Louis were like brothers and they fought alongside each other. Liam was nicknamed “Dad” by Louis and when I first met them, Liam stood in front of Louis protectively, to ensure that I was of no harm to him.

The four boys met on the first day and became immediate friends, but I didn’t meet them until the day we were shipped to the front line. I sat alone, eating dinner when an Irish accent was heard from across the fire. “Hey.” Walking over and laying a hand on my shoulder. “Wanna join us for a game of poker?” He said. I nodded and from then on, we were the best of friends. Louis and Niall taking a liking to me instantaneously, seemingly more so than the other two, but we were all friends and helped each other.

Niall was scared and every night we could hear the gun fire and bombs going off. I could hear Niall whimper in his sleep, but as I look over, I see a sleepy Zayn shuffle over and get under the blankets with him, gently running his hands through his hair and shushing him. Each night is a repeat of the previous, Niall and Zayn sleeping together whilst Louis rolls over to bury his face into Liam’s chest, resulting in Liam’s arm laying across the smaller boy’s frame. I always lay alone, thinking of Katherine and her eyes.

Katherine and I wrote to each other every day when I was in the war, the boys constantly asking about who she was, but one day, her letters stopped coming. I was afraid that her Father had found out about me and stopped the letters. I kept writing, in hope that her Father saw how committed I was to making our relationship work throughout and after the war, but the letters still didn’t come, so I stopped as well, writing my last letter saying how much I loved her and will see her again no matter what, when I return from the war, promising her that I would marry her and start a family, just like she wanted, with three kids, one girl and two boys. Rebecca, Sebastian and Noah.

News soon reached me that Katherine had passed away from tuberculosis. The new disease, that had quickly spread through my home town shortly after I had left, had taken Katherine from me. The letter told me that it was a slow painful disease, leaving me to weep into the paper at the thought of Katherine writhing in pain as the disease slowly killed her. The other lads there with me tried to cheer me up, but nothing helped. I was head over heels in love with a girl that was now confirmed dead. That night, Niall got up, hearing my choked sobs and walked over to my bed. He patted my shoulder and I looked up into his eyes, he gave me a side-smirk and I moved over, allowing him to lay beside me. He pulled me into his arms and I cried harder. “I loved her Ni.” He just rubbed circles on my back and shushed me.

The next morning I woke up in Niall’s arms and he looked down at me. “Feel better?” I heard him say. My voice was too broken and raw to speak so I just nodded my head. “We have orders. We’re going into battle today.” I was scared and I could hear it in Niall’s voice that he was scared too. We all got changed and walked out of the bunker to see the commanding officer. We were given our orders and we got our rifles. We all took a deep breath as the commander yelled at us. 

“Ready. Aim. Fire!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like the flashback-y parts of this story and learning about Harry's roots. I hope you do too. More to come soon. Love you guys xx


	10. 1861 Part II

*1861 - Harry’s POV*  
We stood and fired, charging to the opposing side. I hear an anguished cry out for help and a loud scream. I turn to see that Liam has been hit in the leg, Louis is leaning over him and shouts out to us.

“I’m taking him back. Keep going!” He screams at us, tears threatening to spill out. He picks Liam up over his shoulder and runs back to the trench. The day is overcast and it begins to rain, the first drop landing on my hand that pulls the trigger. As I look down to wipe it off I hear Zayn’s scream. “Niall!” I look over and my gun falls from my hands. I run over to help Zayn pick Niall up and run with him back to the trenches. We lay him down in the hospital ward and Zayn rips open his shirt, whilst Niall grunts in pain. He has a gun shot through his stomach and it’s bleeding severely.

Zayn and I look at each other, tears threatening to run down our cheeks. Niall groans and tries to roll over and curl himself up into a ball but Zayn holds him down. The doctors inject him with a pain killer and he relaxes, soon falling asleep. Zayn now let’s tears flow freely as Niall sleeps soundly. The nurses wrap his stomach with bandages and pulls us away, telling us to get back onto the field and leave him to rest. Zayn still has Niall’s shirt in his hands and soon wraps it around his waist. “Let’s go get those bastards!” Zayn says, nothing but anger in his eyes as he grabs another rifle and runs out onto the field.

I look over to see Louis grabbing a rifle as his cheeks are stained with tears and his eyes are red and puffy. I walk over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “He’s dead Harry. The bullet went straight through his leg and he lost a lot of blood.” Louis says, tears running down his cheeks again. “W-where’s Niall?” He says, his eyes wide with fear.

“He’s in the hospital, bullet in the gut.” I say, my eyes watering. Louis finally breaks down and falls into my arms. “It’s gonna be alright. Liam’s gonna help us.” He looks up at me and nods. “Let’s go.” I say, him and I running out onto the field with the knowledge of Liam guiding us.

Later that night Zayn, Louis and I sat around the fire, eating our dinner in complete silence. No games of poker, no laugher, we didn’t even dare speak, until a familiar Irish voice was heard.

“Well aren’t we a happy bunch.” He says as he chuckles, but then cringes in pain. All of our heads snap to the side as we hear him, he wheels himself towards us and we smile, the first time all day.

“Niall!” We chant at the same time. We all give him a huge hug, glad to see that he isn’t that hurt. “How are ya?” We ask, making him laugh again, before holding his wound and shuffle to sit up more in the wheelchair. He continues to cringe in pain as we hug him, but he just breathes deeply and smiles at us.

“I’m not that badly hurt. The doctors got the bullet out, but it scraped my spinal cord, so I’m paralysed, from the waist down.” We all just look at him, our mouths gaped and we are almost in tears. He smiles at us and he innocently looks over to Louis. “Where’s Liam?” His smile immediately drops as he notices Louis eyes brimming with tears. “Louis, what h-happened to Liam?” He says, with a now shaking voice.

“Ni, Liam’s gone. He lost a lot of blood and-” I say, but get cut off by Niall.

“No! No! He is not dead.” Niall says, tears now flowing freely. Louis walks over to him and embraces him in a hug.

We all fall asleep that night embracing each other. Louis with Zayn and Niall with me. Niall cries himself to sleep as I run my fingers through his hair, holding back my tears, to remain strong for the younger male. The next morning we all wake up to hear gun shots and Niall is curled into my chest, trying to hide from their sound. I put my hands over his ears and he looks at me. I smile down at him and reassure him that everything will be fine. I look around to see that Louis and Zayn are no longer there. I tell Niall to stay put as I look for them. “I’ll be back to help you up, but you need to stay here. Promise?” He nods and I leave. I run out of the door just in my cargo pants to see Louis and Zayn gearing up.

“We’ve been given strict orders, after today, we are being shipped back to base. Ha, to think that we would only be here three days.” Louis says with no emotion, his voice is slightly broken from the previous days grieving.

“Lou, it’s not your-” Zayn tries to say, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“I bloody well know that.” Louis says, standing up and walking over to me. “You bloody well take care of yourself! You too.” He says as he looks over to Zayn. I know that he means it lovingly, but what he’s been through, what we have all been through, I don’t blame him.

“I will. We will.” I say, looking at Zayn and nodding. “Now let’s go kill these bastards!” I run back into the room to see Niall sitting up in bed, I lift him into my arms and onto his wheelchair. “I’ve been called back to the field.” Niall grabs my wrist before I can move.

“Please be careful. I’ve lost one brother, don’t let me lose another.” I nod at him, his eyes are wide and I smile. My green eyes reassuring his blue eyes. “I’ll talk with you later Haz” He says before letting a single tear fall. I smile and pull on my shirt then grab my gun before walking out, giving one final nod to Niall.

That night the boys regrouped again in front of the fire. Niall rolled in with a tray of plates on his lap. The soldiers had treated them to a stew tonight and they were all relieved. He nearly dropped the tray when he realized that I wasn’t there. “Where is he?” Louis and Zayn looked at him sadly. “Where is Harry?” He said now, screaming at them. He pushed himself to the hospital ward and the boys followed behind him.

“He’s in Intensive Care.” Zayn said making Niall stop his chair and start to sob.

“God, please tell me that he is going to make it?” Niall says through sobs.

“The doctors said that he’s lost a lot of blood, but he is strong. They said that he kept saying that he needed to stay awake for his brother.” Niall’s breath got caught in his throat as Louis continued to talk. “I didn’t even know he had a brother.” Louis mutters. Niall turns himself around and looks at the boys.

“He means me, I’m his brother. I told him this morning that I had already lost a brother, I didn’t want to lose him. He has been like a brother to me, and I can’t lose him. He is fighting for me.” Niall says through loud, hoarse sobs. It is then that Niall hears my screams. Making him race towards my voice.  
I had heard his cries, knowing them so well from multiple nights of his screams and tears. “Niall. Niall! NIALL! NI-” I scream as I hear him. The pain from my chest preventing me from screaming any more. I feel a small hand lay over mine and I can feel his calloused skin and I know it’s him.

“Ni.” I whimper.

“I’m here brother.” I hear him say as I turn my head to look at him. I can feel my eyes becoming heavy as I want to sleep, but I’m afraid that I’ll never wake up.

“I fought, I-I fought f-for you, brother.” I say, coughing as he rubs my cheek. I close my eyes and let tears run from them. “Don’t leave.” I say opening my eyes again to see him smiling back at me, with the boys standing behind him hugging each other as tears stream down their faces, Niall just shakes his head.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He says before my eyes finally close. I drift off into a deep sleep and wake to morning sun. I try to sit up but the severe pain generating from my chest prevents me. I hiss in pain as I feel a hand on mine tighten. “You woke up.” He says. His eyes are red and I know he didn’t sleep much.

“Why didn’t you sleep?” I say, looking over to him, worriedly.

“I couldn’t bear the thought of waking up to find out that you hadn’t. You were also in a lot of pain throughout the night, the nurses were exhausted and so I told them that I would change your bandages.” He says squeezing my hand gently before rolling over to the table and grab my breakfast. He fed me my porridge as the boys walked into the tent, smiles brightening their faces. 

“Hey! You’re looking pretty good Hazza.” They say as they pull me in for a hug. “I’m sure Niall took good care of you.” They say as they pat his back in a friendly gesture.

“Boys, please let Mr. Styles have some privacy, it’s time for his bath and medication.” The nurse says before gently pushing them out of the partition and closing the curtain.

“We’ll see you later Haz!” I hear Niall shout as the nurse pours hot water into a bucket and dips the sponge in. After my bath, the nurse wheels me over to a table in which doctors help me to stand and lay down on it. They apply my bandages and then give me my pain killers. What takes me by surprise is when the nurse holds up a vial that has a thick red liquid in it. It looks almost like blood. She slowly pushes the needle into my arm and injects me with the mysterious liquid.  
I gasp as I feel my wound start to slowly heal and close up, a slight stinging and burning pain as the skin is being regrown and stretched across the wound. My eyes shoot open as the pain becomes unbearable. I fight against the hands of the doctors and nurses, trying to free myself and escape the pain, but they are stronger. I suddenly feel a jolt from my heart and then coldness.

I had died.

The monotone beep of the machine, signalling to the doctors that I had passed on.

Little did I know that the mysterious liquid that they had pumped into my veins was in fact Vampire Blood that had caused almost an allergic reaction in my system, resulting in my veins closing, preventing blood from pumping to my heart. I was dead, but alive. I was a Vampire.

I awoke the next day to hear angry screams coming from the front of the hospital tent. It was Niall and he sounded as if he was told that he couldn’t go home. Somehow I tuned into their voices and was shocked to hear what they were saying.

“Mr. Horan, you are not allowed to see Mr. Styles today, he has just come out of an operation and he needs his rest.” Operation? You were confused. The blood, the injection, the pain, the feel of Niall’s hand on mine, the gunshot and the tears. It all came back to me in a sudden rush that left me breathless. Was I dead? Did I look it? I looked over to peer into a mirror and was shocked to see that I looked alive and well. I turned my head back to the curtain to hear Niall fighting verbally against the nurses.

“What do you mean not today? You have said that to us for three days now and we want to see him.” You were once again breathless as you heard their conversation.

“He has not only been through an intensive surgery, but he has had a long and painful trip home on the ship.” I can hear the nurse as she tries again to rid the ward of the passionate boy. Surgery? Is that what they were calling it now? I have died and come back to life and they call that surgery? I get up out of bed and reach for the crutches that lay near my side table. I hop out through the curtain as Niall looks up at me with a beaming smile.

“It’s alright Katie, I’m fine. I’ll be strong enough.” I say as I look at her, a slight pain in my eyes as my head hurts. I smile down at Niall as the nurse finally nods but points her finger at me sternly. 

“If you feel weak at all, you come straight back here!” I nod at her and then she turns to Niall.

“You take care of him, you hear?” She says sternly, before a smile is placed on her lips and in her eyes.

Niall just nods as he turns around and shows me back to the boys. “Look what the cat dragged in!” He shouts as he enters what I can only assume is the boys dorm on the ship. All faces look up to me, no emotion in their eyes until they fall on mine.

“HARRY!” They yell as they throw the cards down and race over to me, embracing me in a tight hug. They then pull away quickly, forgetting that I am an injured man. “You look, well, good as new!” Louis says. “Keeping in mind the crutches and pain written on his face, sure!” Zayn says smirking, letting me know that he was joking. Finally, Niall rolls over to me and pokes me in the side as I inhale a sharp breath.

“You scared me half to death brother!” He says smiling up at me, leaving me no other option than to lean down and hug him. “So! You want a game of poker? The nurse said that if you were good enough, you could sleep here tonight, we do have a spare bed.” I smile down at him and nod, making him smile.

I guess you could say that I hadn’t yet felt the need to be hungry. I guess if I was going to be a Vampire I needed to feed sooner or later, gladly for me it was later. I had kept in contact with all of the lads, but I never saw Niall after the war. I was gutted that I had lost contact with someone that I was so close with. I watched, as the years passed, my friends aging and soon passing away. I guess that Niall passed away too. Did he move back to Ireland? I thought he said that he was staying in England after the war?

That was 152 years ago, now I had another blue eyed individual that makes me break every time I see them hurt. I couldn’t save Niall, but maybe I could save her, from death, from pain, and maybe, just maybe, from me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We go back to present day now. Love you guys xx


	11. The Break

*Cait’s POV*  
Cait entered her house, expecting Harry to follow her inside, so she didn’t close the door. She knew he was awake, she saw him watching her as she unlocked the door. Cait kicked off her shoes and sat down on the couch thinking about what happened today. She still felt the way that his soft lips pressed against hers, gently at first then more forcefully.

He tasted sweet, yet at the same time he tasted like spearmint. She remembers feeling of his calloused fingers run over her cheeks and feeling his hard chest come into contact with hers.

She remembered the feeling of his cold tongue run across her bottom lip lightly, asking for access, and when Cait denied him, he pressed himself harder into her. She shook her head trying to rid her mind of the images that made her breathing hitch.

Cait looked back over to the door and noticed that Harry hasn’t come in yet. She stands up and walks to the front door and looks out of the window. Harry is still sitting in the passenger seat, frozen.

From what Cait can see he looks sad, but then quickly snaps out of it and steps out of the car. He walks to the front door and locks eyes with hers. He walks through the open door and slams it shut. “Do you really think that I wouldn’t find out?” Her heartbeat sped up at his words. Did he hear you? He chuckles dryly. “I heard you, but don’t worry,” He says as he sees Cait start to move away from him.

“I want you to know that I’m not going to do anything. What I did was stupid and I let my heart lead my actions, resulting in you probably hating me. I don’t want you to hate me. I feel like it’s my job to be protective of you and I can’t bear the thought of you possibly being in harm’s way. I want to save you from harm and death, and that means me.” She gasps at his words. She didn’t want him to leave.

He walks towards her slowly and leans into her ear. “Maybe we shouldn’t see each other for a while. Take a break until this, attraction, goes away.” He kisses her forehead before he turns to leave. Cait can’t breathe, she can’t think straight. Her breathing beginning to become erratic and short. She feels herself become dizzy and lightheaded and she tries to call for Harry, but she can’t make any noise.

“No.” Cait whispers as she starts to slip into a panic attack. Harry turns around with wide eyes and rushes to her side to catch her just as she slips into unconsciousness. Cait didn’t know why, but she didn’t want to leave his side, she didn’t want him to go, and it wasn’t just the fact that he was her subject for her mid-year. She felt safe when she knew Harry was watching over her. Cait knew that he saw her as someone that he must protect and she welcomed that fact.

Cait grew up as a child who lost her parents at a young age to a serious illness. She had lived with her friend for a couple of years, switching between their house and her grandparents’ until she got a job and saved up enough money to get into college. Out of the blue, her grandparent’s will had come through to her on her 18th birthday, entitling Cait to their wealth, although only substantial enough for a small house, she welcomed it gratefully and mourned many nights over the loss of another two people who also had a huge impact on her life. She finally had the small house that she wanted and got into Brit U.

Cait awoke in her bed, confused and disorientated. She sat up and looked around her room, trying to find a clue to what has brought her here. Cait sees a note, sitting under a cup of hot tea.

She opens the note to see his cursive script.

“I have made you this, please drink it, it will make your head feel better. I know that you didn’t want me to leave, but I have to. I’m getting too close and that could compromise everything you are working to. I do care for you Caitlyn, but I just need to get away for now. I have called in today to say that you are not well, so please do not worry about going to school. Ebony will most likely be over later, so try and relax until then. I will be back. When? I don’t know. I always keep my promises, it’s time to keep yours. Promise me that you won’t come looking for me.

P.S: I have not forgotten about your mid-year. I will be back to do further interviews, but firstly, I need to clear my head. Keep yourself well. I will always be watching. Until then love.”

Cait’s heart leaps at the words that are written on the page before her. Tears begin to well up in her eyes as she reads over the text once more. He’s gone, and she couldn’t stop him. It was her fault for confessing her true feelings for him. Without them, he would still be here. Cait picks up the tea cup and sips it carefully as it is still hot, closing her eyes momentarily as the soothing tea calms her muscles and mind. She remembers Harry saying that he’ll be watching over the break period. In a way this calms her nerves, making her feel somewhat safe, but deep inside she still wished that he didn’t leave.

Cait stands up and makes her way to the bathroom, deciding to let her tears fall as she stands under the spray of the water. Cait turns the water off and curls up in the bottom of the shower with her knees to her chin, letting more tears fall. She hears a knock at the front door and quickly pulls a dress on after haphazardly drying herself off. She walks up to the front door and creaks it open to a very worried Ebony.

“Oh my god! Are you alright? Professor Hardings told me that your DOCTOR called in sick for you.” Cait just smiled at her friend’s over exaggerated concern.

“Ebony! I’m fine, well, better now. I collapsed last night and didn’t wake up until about an hour ago.” At Cait’s words, Ebony’s eyes widen and then grab onto her arm and helps her to the couch. “I just needed a day’s rest.” Cait says as she looks into her friend’s eyes, telling only half of the truth.

“I’ll let you rest then.” Ebony says as she goes for the door, but Cait stops her quickly, saying how she just wants to talk for a bit, persuading her, easily, to stay and chat. “So, have you decided for who your mid-year is going to be on?” She says in her typical, ‘I-can’t-care-less-for-the-rules-just-tell-me!’ voice.

“Ebony, you know that I can’t tell you that!” Cait says as she just stares at her, making Cait laugh at her impatience. She continues to glare daggers at Cait and she knows that she can’t help but cave. “Fine! But you tell me first!” Cait says as she sticks her tongue out. She looks shocked at her but then agrees.

“Fine!” She says as she huffs and readjusts her seating arrangement and faces Cait on the fairly large couch. “Niall Horan.” Cait looks at her with a confused expression on her face.

“Who?” She says simply. She laughs at her expression and just shakes her head.

“He is a famous serial killer that hunts down men and women, specifically those who are doctors, nurses or anyone qualified for treatment with medication. So, us!” Ebony says with a laugh, whilst Cait just sits there slightly scared. “He is most commonly found killing people in Ireland and England. He himself is an Irish man.” She says with a slight shiver, showing Cait how much she likes him. She unlocks her phone and shows her a photo. He has short, dirty blonde hair with stunning blue eyes and chiselled features. Cait shakes her head and looks back up to Ebony. “Mhm, I know hunny!” They laugh and then she turns on Cait. 

“Who’s yours?!”

Cait sighs, anticipating her over exaggerated response. “Harry Styles.” All she hears next is her very high pitch scream. “Before you scream more,” She says whilst chuckling. “I was also the one to start two weeks early.” Her jaw drops and Cait just blushes and lowers her head.

“YOU WHAT?!” She screams. Anyone else would have thought that she was pissed at her, but she knew that she was just very jealous. “Why did you start so early?” Cait just shrugs her shoulders, obviously not going to tell her that Harry practically forced her to start so early because he found her at the café and actually researched her, whilst she researched him. That would be breaking her promise to him, and she can’t do that.

Before Cait realized it, it was five o’clock and Ebony had to get home. They both said good bye and Cait decided to start dinner. In between dinner, she wanted to take some more notes on her sessions with Harry, in particular her session in the field. Cait quickly serves up dinner and plays the tape. She comes to the end of it and realizes that it caught the both of them kissing. She zooms in though on something that caught her attention, as he began to kiss her, catching her off guard before she kisses him back.

Harry had changed when he was kissing her. His eyes were black and he was in his other form, but then something brought him back. Cait gasped. When she kissed him back, that brought Harry back. She quickly wrote down the ideas and thoughts that came into her mind.

“Things he ties himself to, emotionally, physically and mentally, are the things that can pull him out of his demonic state and keep him grounded, but once that link has been severed, he is left to fight against the inner demon himself. It’s almost as if the people or possessions that he holds dear to himself are an anchor that can prevent him from sinking into the dark insanity of his other form. He requires someone that he cares for, or feels protective of to assist him in not becoming the thing he fears most. Himself.”

Cait closes her laptop and book and decide to call it a night, slipping into her pyjamas and then under the covers, she can’t help but feel relieved, knowing that he can fight it, he just has to let her help. Cait closes her eyes and hopes that tomorrow will be less emotional, and that she can still feel somewhat at home, knowing that Harry is still watching over her. Cait slips into a deep sleep, dreaming about his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Try not to hate me? :) Love you guys xx


	12. Niall's Bite Is Worse Than His Bark

*Harry’s POV - London*  
It was just for a couple of nights. I couldn’t stay there anymore, my blood lust getting the better of me on occasion. I walked out of the dark alley way, cleaning my mouth with the back of my hand. I was angry, pissed to be exact and I just wanted to feel in control again. Taking the life of that woman made me feel powerful, I knew that she was weak so I took my time, enticing her, drawing her in until she was cornered. She tried to scream but I silenced her. I felt how her blood ran down my throat, how her heart beat slowed until it stopped. I felt how she struggled against my strong grasp. I loved how she thought that by begging I would let her go. I was still pissed. Why would I do that to her! I hated leaving her.

I punched the brick wall at a normal human strength, resulting in my hand being cut. I was in pain, not just from the punch, so I slid down the wall and sat on the cold concrete below me. “Are you alright?” I hear a small petite voice from the opening of the alley way. I look up and see a young woman, no younger than 21. Perfect I think as I stand up and speed towards her, making her jump, but she doesn’t scream or run. She’s enthralled me and all I can think about is Caitlyn.

I grab her shoulders and rush her and I to the end of the alley way in the darkness. I push her against the wall and kiss her hard, hard enough to cut her lip. I pull away and lick my lips, tasting her blood. I don’t change, I can’t stop thinking about how much she looks like her. Now she’s scared, wondering what in hell I am and why I kissed her.

“What are you doing out so late?” I ask, now genuinely questioning her, instead of just trying to draw her in before the kill.

“Late class of Psychoanalysis with a side study of Psychiatry.” She is so much like you.

I leave to rid her from my mind and instead I find her doppelganger! God!

“Leave, forget that you ever met me, you cut your lip because you’re worried about your up and coming mid-year and you keep biting your lip.” She nods and just walks away, not once looking back.

“Now why would you let such a good meal just walk away? After all, you are like me, brother.” I freeze in my tracks. An Irish accent invading my ears.

Niall Horan.

“I thought that you were dead, brother. I lost all contact with you after the war.” I say, keeping my calm façade. He chuckles lowly.

“I had to get my revenge. Why didn’t you?” He says, only now do I turn around. I should have known that nothing was wrong with him. He no longer pushed himself around in a wheelchair. “We could make an excellent team, you and I, but I heard that you have made yourself famous in Brittan, if I am correct?”

I looked to his legs.

“You were injected with the blood as well weren’t you?” He nods simply as he looks at my eyes. “You healed up well.” He laughs and looks at my chest where the wound was.

“As did you. I still had to use the wheelchair for a couple of days until the pain was gone and the blood was no longer in my system. Like you I guess.” I nod, but I remember that I took a couple of days to recover, whereas Niall only took a couple of hours. “I didn’t actually have the reaction you did until we parted from the ship when I got home. I stayed around Ireland and London, getting revenge on anyone related to a doctor, nurse or anyone that handles medication. London, Brittan and Ireland are well known for their Psychology courses in which they qualify students to handle medication.” My stomach drops at his words, but I hold an interested façade, not letting him see your name in my mind.

“You see brother, you just let the class’s top student slip from your grasp. Though, might I say that your techniques are quite interesting. Do you always kiss your victims so passionately before the kill?” I just stare at him with a steely gaze.

“No. I just wanted to try a different technique of getting to her blood. Although the lips are my most favorited parts of the woman’s body. What about you Brother? What are your techniques?”

He just laughs and puts an arm around my shoulders as we walk out of the alley way. It’s like nothing has changed. We acted like we did in the civil war. We laughed and watched as women walked down the street, eyeing them off like we were just typical human men in our early twenties.

“So what is your type?” I look at him quizzically. “That you like to hunt.” He says with a wide grin, showing off his canines, not elongated but “Women, between 20 to 25, no older, no younger. I like to kill them in alley ways, in the dark, whilst it’s raining. I drain their blood then hang them upside down. I prefer brown haired girls, but I’ll go for whatever girl I can find if I’m in a rush or very hungry. I love the chase and when they scream, but most of the time, I have to silence them. What about you?” I say as he looks at me with a wide smile.

“Well, isn’t that interesting.” He says as he rubs his face. I just look at him questioningly. “The night you were injected it poured down with rain and it was horribly dark. The ship was delayed a day because of the storm. Katie, the nurse that took care of you was a brunette that was 23 years old. She was a woman, Haz. Little do you know, all of your victims are based around what happened to you, and you are getting revenge for what Katie has done to you. You are getting revenge, just in a different way.”

I look at him astounded. I guess he is right. I’ve never known why I hunt down those specific traits in a victim, but now I know that I am like Niall. I’m getting revenge, and I love it. “So? What are your traits and techniques?” I ask as we walk into a bar, I order us two straight whiskeys, even though the alcohol won’t affect us, I still need something strong to make sure that I am not imagining Niall sitting before me. The strong liquor burns our throats as we order another one.

“I go for anyone who has a medical degree or deals with medicine. I hang around the hospitals and universities, looking for anyone that I find interesting. I don’t really care for hair colour or age, but what I really love is blue eyes. I think that they are really sexy and I can’t hold my inner demon back when I look into a truly beautiful pair of blue eyes. There is this one girl that I want to show you. Come on!” He says as he puts the money on the table. “I’ll tell you on the way.” Niall says as he pushes you out by your shoulders. “She’s gorgeous man, she goes to Uni and I just have to have her.

“So you never told me how you draw women in.” Niall nods and unlocks his car, letting me into the passenger seat. “Nice car.” I say as he jumps into the Jeep and speeds off.

“I just buy them a drink if in a bar or I just ask if they need help to their car or carrying their books. I use the traditional cliché moves that seem to work for them. I can tell who is weak and who isn’t and it seems to work to my benefit, but Haz, this one girl! She is so good looking and smart. I always liked a girl with brains. Remember that one nurse in the war?” He asks as I just nod my head. “Yeah, oh she was good looking and smart. I wanted to talk to her, but I was way too shy. You actually had to ask for me!”

We both laughed at the memories that we shared on the car ride to wherever this girl lived. Little to my knowledge we ended up in Brittan and we pulled up outside the University. “Why are we here?” I ask simply. Niall just laughs, not knowing my tie to this place.

“Don’t worry. I know that this is your territory and I won’t ruin that for you. Stay here.” He says as he climbs out of the car. I do as he says, but waiting outside of the car as its hot today. My nerves are at ease though as I know that Caitlyn is at home and not at school today, as we would have had a session. I feel a wave of regret wash over me as I know that she is probably really hurt right now. I leave Niall a note on his jeep that I needed to check up on something quickly and ran towards her house.

I stop on her drive way when I hear her scream. I stop myself from bursting through her door and saving her. I listen more closely, but my instincts kick in when I hear Niall’s name. “Oh my god! You’re, you’re Niall Horan.” I hear her say just above a whisper. My eyes turn black as I hear him laugh deeply.

“Come on love.” I hate him using that name on her, she was mine. I heard her breath hitch at the name. “I want to show you to somebody, but first. I want a taste. I’ve been watching you for quite some time and might I say. Your blood smells delicious.” I heard her scream, a sound that I wish I never heard as he punctures her skin with his teeth.

I burst through the door and grab Niall’s shoulders. “What the hell do you think you are doing?” I scream in his face. I can smell her blood as it runs down his chin. He just smiles, showing me his bloody teeth. I pull him out of the house by his collar and he turns on me and pushes me against the nearest wall, hard. Despite the pain, I flip us around and push him into the wall instead, the bricks cracking under our intense strength and multiple attacks. “She is mine, this is my town.” I say, growling in his face. “You will not touch her again!” Niall looks at me scared. Then he licks his lips and pushes me off of him.

“You better be careful brother. If you go soft on me I’ll take over your town. I didn’t want a girl to ever come between us, but it seems that it has. I hope that we can still keep in contact and remain brothers.” Niall says as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. He shakes my hand and we hug each other.

As Niall walks off I run back into the house, seeing Caitlyn laying on the ground, her neck still bleeding and her heartbeat slowing down, her eyes are closed and I start to freak out. I try and wake her but she is unconscious. “Come on, come on, come on!” I say as I bite into my wrist and hold it to her lips, letting the few drops of blood spill into her mouth. “Please don’t let me be too late.” I say aloud as her wound starts to slowly heal. I jump up quickly grabbing a cloth and wipe down her neck. I then pick her up and take her back to her bed.

She slowly starts to stir and I just kiss her forehead and speed away. Closing her door just as she wakes up, gasping at the memories that flood her thoughts. I read her thoughts and luckily, she hasn’t seen me. She begins to cry as I sit down with my back to the brick wall. I want to hold her and tell her that everything will be alright, but I can’t bring myself to stand up and comfort her.

All of the emotions from today building up. Reuniting with Niall and finding out that he wants to kill Caitlyn. Seeing Niall sink his teeth into her neck and then the smell of her blood. He can’t get the sound of her choked sobs out of his ears as he sits there and quietly lets a few hot tears spill down his cheeks.

I promised to keep her from harm, and I’ve broken that. I’ve now lost her respect and trust, but worst of all was the thought that I nearly lost her today. I can’t let her get hurt, I promised myself, I promised her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I probably say this after each chapter and I will continue to say it...please don't hate me? Love you guys xx


	13. My Guardian Angel

*Cait’s POV*  
Cait awakes with a gasp, remembering everything that has just happened. She feels her neck as she starts to well up with tears. The bite marks are no longer there, but the pain still is. The pain of not having Harry here to protect her and make her feel better as he would brush the tears from her cheeks. Cait curls up in bed and sobs louder. Will Niall be back? She didn’t know. She was scared to leave her house. How did he find her? Did Harry know anything about this Niall character? Cait got up, shuffling sadly to her kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, Harry being generous enough to leave her the box of it.

Cait sips the hot drink and sits down on her couch, the clock now striking 10am she decides to watch some T.V hating the way that she felt right now, until she heard a knock at her door. The same knock that brought her all of those soy mochas, flowers and notes. That same knock that brought Cait her morning sessions with Harry, but it was also the same knock that brought her close to death, when she thought Harry would be standing on the other side of the door. Cait ran to the door, but hesitated at her final thought. “Open the door.” She hears his voice in her head, making her turn the handle.

Cait opens the door to see him. Curly brown hair, small dimples when he smiles and his green eyes that hold no happiness, but sadness and regret. She can’t help herself as she jumps into his arms for a hug, making a smile appear on his face. One that she has missed.

His arms snake around her waist to pull her in more so that he can hold her closer to himself. It has been a week since she has seen him and she knew that nothing has changed, but she will keep that to herself to ensure he never leaves again.

As he hugs Cait, he walks them both inside and sits her down on the couch. Cait breaks the hug and stands to get the bottle of whiskey, feeling like they will both need it for the conversation they were about to have. Harry grabs two tumblers and pours the dark liquor in. He hands one to Cait and sits down opposite her. She knows that what she was about to ask him would hurt, but she wanted to know.

“Where were you Harry?” She says with tears in her eyes. His eyes show regret as they too well up.

“I promise you that I will never leave you again.” He says as he gently squeezes her knee. “I went to London. I was trying to get you out of my head, but I couldn’t. I can’t stop thinking about you and I need you to know that I will do anything to keep you safe. Whatever it takes. I broke the promise that I made to you about keeping you safe. What happened yesterday with Niall was out of control, but it shouldn’t have been out of my control.” Cait gasps at his words. He knew Niall, he knew the man that attacked her.

“You know him? How?” Harry once again looked down with regret filling his eyes. She places her open hand on his cheek, pulling his attention back to her. “It’s alright. I’m not mad.” He looks up at her slowly. His eyebrows furrowed and his mouth slightly agape, with no sound coming out. 

“He and I were buddies in the Civil War. I met him on my third day when we were shipped to the front line. Ni and I hit it off straight away. We were like brothers, never leaving each other’s side. When we were wounded, the nurses and doctors injected us with Vampire blood. I reacted immediately, my veins closing up and my heart stopping, whereas, his took a few days. We had also made friends with another three boys. Louis, Zayn and Liam.

Louis and Zayn had survived the war, only leaving with a couple of small wounds. Sadly Liam didn’t make it. He was killed on the first day on the front line when we were given orders to go out into the field. He was shot through the leg and lost a lot of blood. The doctors and nurses didn’t have time to try and save him with the blood, unlike me and Niall. They waited until we recovered and got some rest, then the next day, went on with the treatment.

After the war, Louis, Zayn and I had kept in contact like we promised, but none of us had heard from Niall. We thought that he had killed himself from Depression or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As the years passed on, so did the other two boys, and not hearing from Niall, I had assumed that he died too. I was saddened by the loss of the three boys, until just a couple of days ago I was in London and Niall had found me. I was shocked but delighted. I had lost my family at a very young age and Niall was the only family I had left. When I had found him, it was like I had found myself again.

Niall is still walking around out there, but he knows that Brittan is mine. He hunts people who deal with medicine. This means Nurses, Doctors, Psychiatrists and even University Students. This means you. He is known as the Medicine Killer. He hunts down people in the England, Ireland area. Every time you need to go out, whether it’s to Uni or to the shops, you will have me in tow. Do you understand?” Cait nods silently. “If I am to keep this promise of you not getting hurt, I am going to do it right. You’re mine, not his. I have made sure that he knows that. I will still keep in touch with him, no doubt, but he has given me his word not to harm you and to ensure that he will not step foot in Brittan without my say so. Looks like you’ve got another guardian angel love.” He laughs and then swigs the whiskey back after an emotional sharing.

“Thank-you.” Is all she can seem to get out?

“For what?” He laughs lowly.

“For sharing that with me, for caring for me, for bringing me another guardian angel, for being you.” Cait says in a very quick and chained together sentence. He just laughs and kisses her on the forehead.

“You’re welcome love.” He says and then stands and walks towards her kitchen. “Now, you need some lunch!” He says, rubbing his hands together then walking back over and holding out his hand to her. “What do you fancy?” He says and spins Cait around. She can tell that he missed her and she loves the feeling of being back in the safety of his arms and under his watchful gaze.

“It doesn’t have to be fancy! It’s just lunch.” He turns her back to face him and has a shocked expression on his face making her giggle.

“Just lunch? It’s our first lunch back as client,” he puts his hands flat on his chest. “and doctor.” He then flips his hands, palm side up to motion towards Cait. “So it shall be my specialty. Ham and Cheese toasted sandwiches! But you have to help me! I can’t do it alone.” He says as she laughs harder at what he calls a gourmet special lunch.

“I thought you only drank blood?” Cait says as she gets the ham and cheese out of the fridge as he retrieves the bread from the bread-bin.

“Blood is my main food source, but I can eat human food, it just doesn’t satisfy me. Although there is one food that can satisfy me, but you can’t find it anywhere!” He says as he winks at her and walks over to the bench where she is standing. Cait just rolls her eyes and hip-bumps him to tell her the next step.

“Where do you keep your knives?” Harry asks, looking in all of the draws. Cait just clears her throat and points to the knife block occupying a small spot on her bench above the cutting board, making her laugh at his unamused expression. He just closes the drawers and walks back over to her with a pout.

Harry and Cait cut up the ham and cheese and assemble them in between the slices of bread and then put them in the preheated pan. “I could swear that you have made these before?” He says, an interrogation look, written all over his face.

“Nope!” Cait laughs. “Just cheese and tomato!” She laughs again and looks at his shocked face. 

“So you have made these before!” He says as he slowly starts to walk towards her like a predator would its prey. A playful glint in his eye as her smile grows.

“No I haven’t! It’s different!” She says as she laughs again, but this time turning on her heel and running out of the kitchen. Screaming as she can hear Harry chasing after her down the hall, completely forgetting about the sandwiches cooking on the stove. He is running at a normal pace, which is considerate of him as he knows that Cait can’t run even close to how fast he can.

She turns a corner and hides in the little corner there out of plain sight. Completely forgetting that he can hear her heartbeat. Harry turns the corner and sees that she is nowhere in sight, until he hears her heartbeat and her quiet breathing. He jumps out and scares the living hell out of her. He then pulls Cait out of the corner and over his shoulder. “GOTCHA! Naughty, lying girls need to be taught a lesson!” He says as he throws her on the couch.

He then proceeds to tickle her sides, making Cait gasp, scream and laugh all at the same time. “Say uncle when you want me to stop!” He says, continuing to tickle her more.

After about two minutes she finally gives in, no longer able to breathe with not only his hands but because he pinned her down, his legs straddling hers. “UNCLE!!” She screams, but then, when he is caught off guard, she flips herself and Harry around and it is now Cait who is straddling him. Her breaths are heavy. Hers from lack of oxygen, his from arousal.

She has his hands pinned down beside his head in her small hands and her face is level with his. As they both look into each other’s eyes, the arousal is evident. She leans down to kiss him, but the smell of burnt bread fills her nose and she quickly jumps off of Harry to turn the sandwiches, being lucky that only the edges are slightly burnt.

Cait looks back to see that Harry is still lying down with his hands at the level of his head. She blushes profusely and turns back around to the pan. Images of her on top of Harry and Harry on top of her fills her mind and she is brought back to reality by Harry’s hands on her shoulders, lightly massaging them. Cait lets out a low moan as the tension is slowly removed from her neck and shoulder muscles.

Cait finally finishes cooking the sandwiches and turns the pan off, serving them up and then eating them quickly and silently. “Thank-you for lunch, but I think that I should repay you somehow?” She says quietly before looking back up to Harry’s eyes. “I want you to drink from me,” Harry’s eyes widening as he shakes his head no. “As a thank-you, for, saving me.” She says, moving closer to Harry on the couch. “It’s alright. Just a small taste.” She says as she lifts her wrist to hover a few centimetres in front of his mouth. He slowly grabs a hold of her wrist and places a soft kiss on her pulse point before his eyes turn black and his canines extend.

Cait holds her breath and awaits the coming pain that this demon will bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this chapter, no matter how many times I read it, it still gives me the warm and fuzzies! But yeah...once again, don't hate me for the cliffhanger. (I told you...every chapter) Love you guys xx


	14. Blood Bonding

*Harry’s POV*  
“Just a small taste.” I hear her say before my eyes turn black and I feel my canines grow. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I could smell her blood just below her skin. She smelt sweet and I wanted to bite her then, but I needed to make her feel secure and loved, not like my victims with a false love, but genuine and pure. I kiss her wrist softly, just letting my lips brush the sensitive skin there before I pull back and look in her eyes. Her vibrant blue eyes showing me that it is alright. My grip on reality starts to falter as I pull her wrist up to my open mouth. I slowly and gently push into her skin with my teeth, puncturing the skin and letting the blood pour into my mouth. She tastes better than what I could smell through her skin. She was sweet and fruity. Her blood had a smooth coppery taste that was very rare. Most people had bitter or acidic coppery blood. Caitlyn had sweet blood. I pulled again on her wrist, drawing more blood into my mouth, until I felt her small hand on my cheek.

I wanted to keep going. I wanted to drink more, but I stopped myself. The feel of her small hand on my cheek pulling me back to reality. I let her wrist fall from my mouth as my eyes change back to green and my canines shrink. I look into her eyes that show no sign of remorse or fear, she just smiles at me and brushes her thumb against my cheek in a soothing notion. I smile back at her and then move closer to her, fear now flashing across her eyes. I don’t blame her thinking that I would attack her since all she’s been through at the moment with Niall. “Don’t worry.” I say as I bite into my palm. I lift my hand to her, the small amount of blood pooled there waiting to be taken. “You need to be healed, you’re still bleeding.” I say nodding towards her wrist. I lift my hand up to her face and nod at her.

She’s hesitant, worried about the after effects, not knowing about me healing her yesterday. “It’s alright, you won’t change or have an allergic reaction. This is fresh, the blood I got was old. Take it before I heal.” I say, almost forcing her to drink. She takes my hand in her grip and brings my palm to her mouth. She slowly pulls the blood into her mouth, her tongue softly licking the wound that is slowly healing. I can’t help but groan as she pulls more of my blood into her mouth. Blood sharing is a very strong bond and I know that she can feel it too. I feel myself starting to lose control again and I have to pull her away before I bite her neck which is to the side, trying to get to more of my blood.

“Caitlyn, stop.” I say, pulling her head away from my hand. It was a struggle as my control is weakened, making me weak. She growls lowly, pulling away. Her breathing is heavy as she looks up to me. Her eyes are dark with the pleasure the blood sharing has given us. “How do you feel?” I say, knowing full well how she is feeling. Thing with blood sharing is, is that we feel what the other feels, and I think she knows that now. She just continues to look at me, not wanting to break eye contact, but she does. She looks down and I can finally take in her wound on her neck. Still slightly discoloured from yesterday, but healed over. To the human eye, there is no wound, but to a vampire, it is clearly seen.

I instinctively reach my hand out to brush her hair away, but as soon as my fingers lightly brush her neck where the wound was she pulls away, her breathing increasing again. I feel a rush through me as my fingers brush against the sensitive healed skin. It’s directly on her pulse point, resulting in a hyper-sensitive area, resulting in a wide smile forming on my lips. I brush over the skin again and shiver as I feel the rush once more course through our bodies. Her eyes darken and look up at mine, the look that she holds is almost as if she is daring me to do it again, so I do, slowly running my calloused fingertips over the scarred tissue.

The rush of feeling speeds through the both of us and she’s finished with fighting the side effects.

She leaps into my arms and presses her lips forcefully against mine, causing a groan to escape from my throat. I feel her fingers run through my hair and grip tightly at the small hairs on my neck. I feel her lips once again push against mine in a fierce way and I then finally snap back into reality, kissing her back just as hard, running my tongue on her bottom lip, asking for permission, which she accepts this time, making me groan again. Our tongues fight for dominance, but mine wins out. My tongue explores her mouth, tasting every inch of it. She tastes sweet, yet coppery. I can taste my blood on her tongue making my arousal peak higher.

She pulls away quickly to catch her breath, but her fingers stay intertwined in my hair. Both of our breaths are heavy, panting from the loss of oxygen that the kiss held. I look down to her lips, wanting to press mine against them again, until I realize that they have blood on them. I slowly lick her bottom lip and see a small cut on it. Her breath hitches, not in arousal, but in pain as my tongue slowly runs over the fresh cut. “Sorry love, I must have been a bit too rough.” I say as I chuckle, my voice deep with arousal making her shiver.

“You bit my lip around the time when you licked my bottom lip the first time.” She says with a giggle. “I guess that we are no longer professional, now that we have blood bonded?” She then looks up to me, doe-eyed. The little minx! She knew, how did she know about blood bonding? My eyes must have widened at her comment because she is now giggling and looking back up at me with doe eyes once more. “What? I’ve done my research! When two people, either one or both of them being vampires, drink each other’s blood, a bond is formed between the two, creating a connection in which they will feel each other’s emotions. The bond is made stronger if both are vampires, but a human vampire coupling works just as effectively.” She says, never breaking eye contact.

She’s amazing, simply amazing and I can’t help pressing my lips to hers once more. She kisses me back this time, it’s sweet and soft, savouring the kisses that we share. I push on her shoulders gently and she lies down with her back on the couch as I crawl up the couch to hover over her. I kiss up the side of her neck, paying particular attention to the scar tissue. I suck and lick the healed puncture wounds, making her moan and arch her back into me, the pleasure coursing through my veins as I bite down lightly on it playfully. “Harry, don’t, no more. Please?” I laugh into her neck, making her breath hitch again from my warm breath on the wet spot I left on her neck. I then pull back and look cautiously into her blue eyes.

“Are you sure about this? I don’t want to pressure you into something that you don’t want to do. I am a serial killer after all, and on top of that, I am still your mid-year assignment subject.” My eyes are wide now, showing my compassion and concern for the girl that keeps me guessing.

“Harry. I no longer see you as my mid-year assignment case or even as a serial killer. I see you as the care-free, loving and kind person that you have proven yourself to be. You always said that you wanted me to see the person that you were in 1861, but I like this you. All of the experienced that you have faced, all of the loss, anger, hardship, that’s made you who you are today. I wouldn’t have liked the 1861 Harry, because I like the 2013 Harry.” I can’t help but press a kiss to her lips at what she has said.

“You forgot one thing.” I say as I kiss her lips lightly. She just gives me a puzzled look and smiles. “You.” I say simply, getting yet another puzzled look. “You are one of the reasons why I am who I am today. Without your determination and ‘That’s not professional’ attitude,” I say as I mimic her voice. “I wouldn’t have any cause to still be here. You are dangerous and alluring, yet off putting and charming, like me, which is why I stayed with you. Like my victims are drawn to me, I was drawn to you, and without that attraction, I wouldn’t have this kind and compassionate side to me. I’d still be a killer.” I say, whilst she just winces slightly at the thought of me still killing innocent young women.

I love how she looks, trapped and submissive beneath me as I hover over her lithe body. “Thank-you.” She says quietly, if not for my heightened hearing, I would not have heard it. I cock my head to the side and raise an eye brow. “Thank-you for saying that I was one of many reasons for you being who you are today.” I just shake my head as she begins to ramble on about how that sounded better in her head and that she didn’t mean it to sound like that, that she’s sorry, but I cut her off with a light kiss on her lips.

“I should be the one thanking you.” I say, as she soon returns the confused gesture. “Thank-you for letting me show you who I can truly be, thank-you for giving me a chance, thank-you for loving this me and not wishing to know the 1861, mortal me. Most importantly, thank-you for bringing out the side of me that doesn’t have to kill to feel like someone will notice me. Thank-you for noticing me. Thank-you.” It was now Caitlyn’s turn to shut me up with a kiss. I was starting to ramble and she was giggling at me.

“You know you’re cute when you ramble.” She says, giggling to herself and I just look shocked at her then start tickling her. She screams out in laughter and starts to beg me to stop until I am lying beneath her, her body straddling my hips. “Let’s see how you like it.” Before I can register the words that came out of her mouth, her hands are at my sides, her fingers running up and down as the nerves register the stimulation. I start to laugh hard, tears forming at my eyes as I try and breathe through the laughter.

It’s been forever since someone tickled me, the last person to do so was Katherine a week before my deportation. I look up at Caitlyn, her eyes bright, a smile plastered onto her face, as she too is giggling at my laughing fit. I decide not to use my strength and speed to tip her over, but to, instead, grab her hands and try to stop her, but with my laughter, this is proving difficult.

I finally get her to stop by calling ‘uncle’ and she sits back, content with weakening a vampire.

She then lays her head down on my chest, the two of us laying on the couch comfortably. My natural instinct is to wrap my arms around her shoulders/back, and I do. She sighs against my chest and closes her eyes, I can tell that she is about to fall asleep, so I place a soft kiss on the crown of her head and gently rub circles on her back, soothing her as her breathing gets heavier and she falls asleep in my arms.

I’ve wanted this for a long time. To have her fall asleep in my arms, not forced or compelled, but content and safe. I listen to her steady heart beat as she starts to dream about things that have happened today. The kiss, the blood sharing, the healing of the wound and the new found relationship between herself and her client, the serial killer who happens to be a vampire. I chuckle lightly at her thoughts, scattered and yet they still hold 100% sanity and sense.

I then close my eyes and just concentrate on her breathing and the sound of her heart beat.

Breathe in, beat beat beat, breathe out, beat beat beat.

I soon find myself in a state of total relaxation and serenity, not wanting to move and disturb the one that is sleeping peacefully. I keep my eyes closed until I can feel how the sun hits my face and can hear how her heart beat starts to quicken, signalling her waking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a cute little chapter. Love you guys xx  
> P.S: That year that is written in there (2013) that was literally the year I wrote this...three years ago! Wow!! How time flies!!! Remember 18 year old Harry? :3


	15. Harold

*Harry’s POV*  
Was this us now? Were we to become the cutesy couple that when people see out in the street they ‘aw’ and ‘coo’ at us for our ‘puppy love’? I didn’t want to be seen as weak now that I had fallen in love. I was in love? I guess that since Katherine, I haven’t let myself feel love. I felt her heart beat pick up and I knew that she was waking up. Would she remember last night, or would she freak out and forget about us? I was worried that she would have forgotten about the kisses that we shared last night, I was worried that she would have forgotten our blood bonding. I let my thoughts wonder to the sadness that I wished to push away, and I didn’t realize that her bright blue eyes were now looking up at me, wide and brimming with tears. I looked down into her eyes, mine immediately widening in fear of her pushing me away and calling me a monster, but when she spoke, she knocked that fear far out of my mind.

“Why are you so sad?” Her voice meek and broken. She felt the sadness that I felt over the thoughts of her not remembering. She felt the waves of regret and remorse that washed over me as I thought about her waking and forgetting about me, about us. She remembered everything. The touches, the whispers, the kisses that we shared, even the blood bonding. She remembered how close we got last night, she remembered how I kept touching her neck and making her feel the pleasure as it coursed through her.

“Nothing love. I was-. It’s nothing.” I say, wanting to say what was on my mind, but I knew it was pointless, so I just kissed the top of her head and ran my fingers through her hair. She looks up at me though and she squints her eyes. I chuckle lightly at her and she smiles up at me. “Alright, alright. I was afraid that you would have forgotten last night, the kisses and the words that we spoke, but most importantly, I thought that you would have forgotten the blood bonding. I didn’t want you to forget about us.” I say, not daring to look in her eyes, for I know that they are wide as tears start to fall from them. I hear her light sniffle and pull her against my chest, rubbing my thumb on her back. I can feel her sadness within me and I hated myself for making her feel like this, I only wanted to make her happy, and look where it got me. That was a bad choice in emotions, because what she said next surprised me.

“How could you think that I would forget?” She says to me in a harsh tone, shoving my shoulders and forcing herself out of my grasp. “How could you think that I wouldn’t remember the blood bonding? Or the whispers that we shared? Better yet, how could you even think about the fact that I would forget about how you kissed me? How you pushed me against the couch and pressed your lips to mine? I would never forget Harry. Last night, I was happy! I haven’t been that happy since my parents were alive and I deserve to be happy, for once in my life. Why can’t I be happy Harry?” She said, her anger turning to sadness as she let her burdens lift from her shoulders and spill out of her mouth in a confession that she has kept inside all of these years. She is on her knees, her arms wrapped around her stomach and her head down. Her hair makes a curtain to block out her eyes. Choked sobs fall from her mouth as tears roll down her red cheeks.

I slowly walk over to her and kneel in front of her, now being at her level to lift her chin with my thumb and forefinger to make her eyes meet mine. Her eyes that are red and teary meet my eyes that are wide with sympathy and worry.

“You do.” I say, as she sniffles and her eye brows furrow in confusion. “You do deserve happiness. I never knew about your parents, and I’m so sorry for your loss, but it’s time to be happy. I don’t ever want you to forget about the happiness that we shared last night. I was worried that you had forgotten because I didn’t want to lose you now that I have you. That blood bond has your emotions off course at the moment and I need to make sure that I don’t change my emotions, because that will result in yours being changed too. Last night was one of the only times I have felt genuinely happy since 1861. You deserve to be happy Caitlyn, and no one can tell you otherwise, so be happy.” I say to her, rubbing my thumbs lightly on her jaw. I lean in and kiss her tears away, before lightly pressing my lips to hers. We pull away and look into each other’s eyes and I can’t help but feel satisfied. “You feel better now love?” I say with a small smile as she nods her head silently and then glances over to the clock.

“Do you need to go somewhere today?” She shakes her head. “Classes?” another shake. “Work?” another shake. “Friends or family?” and another follows again. 

“You gonna talk?” I say, catching her off guard as she continues to shake her head at me, pauses half way through the shake and then huffs at me, making me laugh lightly.

“I need to go to the store.” She says, poking her tongue out at me. My smile broadens and I pinch her sides playfully and stand up, helping her up as well. “I need to get changed first, then I’ll go. You don’t have to wait if you need to go.” She says, trying to hold back a disappointed tone, failing miserably.

“I made a promise to you that I’ll always be there so nothing bad ever happens to you again, and I plan to hold that promise. Besides, where else would I need to be?” I say, laughing lightly. “Now, go get dressed!” I say as I grab her shoulders, turn her towards her bedroom and slap her bum playfully. She squeals and jumps, turning around and hitting me square on the chest. My eyes darken and a playful growl escapes my throat. I hear her heart beat speed up, not in fear, but in excitement as I slowly walk towards her, as a predator would. A giggle escapes her lips as she turns quickly on her heels and runs towards her bedroom. This time, I don’t run after her at normal speed. I reach her door just before she does and she screams loudly in shock as her chest collides with mine.

Her chest heaves from the short sprint and I can’t help but notice how it brushes against mine, her accelerated pulse and her heavy breath, clear in my ears. I pin her to the door quite harshly, making her back arch into me, pressing her chest more into mine. My lips attack her neck on her sensitive pulse point and she gasps rather loudly. My canines extend and I brush them over the same spot where Niall bit her. Her hands fly to my hair, pulling at my curls. I groan against her skin as I feel both the pain and pleasure mixing together. I can’t help myself as I break the contact and throw her over my shoulder, eliciting a squeal from her lips, followed by giggling as her hands lightly beat at my back.

“Let me down!” I chuckle at her faint attempts at her release. “Harry!” She squeals as I just pinch her bum out of good nature as I push the door to her bedroom open. I’m about to drop her on the bed when she caught me by surprise. “Harold!” I freeze immediately. No one had called me by my full name since Katherine. It was January and I wouldn’t have heard about the war until that year’s March.

*Harry’s POV - 1861*  
“Harold! Put me down this instant!” Katherine screamed as I spun her around in my arms. We were slow dancing on my porch. It was a beautiful night and I put our favourite song on, on the record. We started to sway, but when Katherine put her arms around my neck and my arms locked behind her back and around her waist, I picked her up and spun her around. She giggled into my ear softly as her hold around my neck got tighter, afraid that she was going to fall. “It’s alright my sweet, I’ve got you.” At those words her grip around my neck loosened and she opened her eyes to look into mine. Her eyes weren’t brown though, they were blue. “Katherine?” I was worried now. “Harry?” Her lips were moving, but it wasn’t her voice that was speaking to him. “Harry, are you alright?”

*Harry’s POV*  
“Harry?” The warm body that I felt on my shoulder struggles to get out of my firm grasp and eventually, she gives up. I feel her poke my back lightly. I snap out of my thoughts and shake my head, ridding my imagination of Katherine’s face, I didn’t need to feel that emotion as of yet. “Who’s Katherine?” She asked meekly, afraid of my reaction. I pull her off of my shoulder and guide her back to her feet by my hands on her hips, our eyes never breaking contact. I grab her hand and guide her to her bed and we sit side by side. Only now does our eye contact break as Katherine is someone that I haven’t told anyone about since the boys in the war. I rest my face in my hands as I breathe deeply in and out to try and prevent the sinking feeling in my stomach. I feel her warm hand as it grabs my wrist and stays there, her thumb rubbing small, reassuring circles on the underside. I look into her eyes and see a small smile, telling me to trust her, and open up, when I was ready. I took a deep breath and started the story us.

“Katherine, was my love. My first love. She was the only person I had after my parent’s had died. We met in the orphanage in America, her parents abandoning her after they couldn’t afford to take care of her at the tender age of 2, my parents passing away when I was 6. We grew up together, Katherine only being a year younger than me, and for a long time, she was like a little sister to me. I was protective over her. Any boy that hurt, teased or tried to date her was immediately on my hit list. You could say that I was like a second Father.” I say with a dry chuckle, making Caitlyn smile sweetly.

“Katherine and I ended up getting jobs, when we were 16, in town, a kilometre away from the orphanage. I worked with the baker’s son, making loafs and cakes, whilst Katherine worked in the stables, attending to the horses. The owners of the stables were kind enough to let us have one of their horses to ride in and out of town during the week, and the owner of the bakery that I worked at, let me take home a loaf of bread that was not sold that day in the shop. Katherine would meet me out the front of the shop, horse in tow and a smile on her face, whilst I greeted her with a hug and a loaf of bread tucked under my arm. I would always sit behind Katherine, making sure to keep my arms around her waist so she would not fall. Every day after work, Katherine and I would ride to the river and sit under the large oak there and talk, whilst we ate the small loaf of bread between us for dinner. We did this every day before riding back to the orphanage for supper.

In the December of 1860, I had fallen in love with her, and I was delighted to hear that she has been in love with me since she was 16 and we found the oak tree by the river. Katherine and I were never adopted, which was a blessing and a curse, as I did not want to get separated from her and not continue to protect her, but as the years went on, and we got older, no one wanted us. As a rule, when we turned 18, we had to leave the orphanage, though they kept me for an extra year, so I could stay with Katherine. The small pay that we had saved up from our jobs over the two to three years was enough to buy a small cottage just a short walk from the river and two kilometres from the orphanage.

That house still holds so many memories for me. It was where we had our first kiss on the porch, sitting in the swinging deck chair. We went to the town’s dance together where we slow danced to “So Close - John McLaughlin” and that soon became our song. That January, Katherine turned 18 and I walked down to the record shop and brought the album. That night, Katherine and I danced to our song and I was so over taken with joy at the beauty of her in front of me. I truly was a young boy in love, a naïve boy. Little did I know that, that March I was to be called away to war, The Civil War. The night before I went off to fight, Katherine and I made love. We were each other’s firsts and we didn’t want it any other way. I promised to write to her every day and that when I returned I would marry her and have a family.

That night we both agreed that instead of trying for our own family we would adopt and not let what happened to us, happen to any of the other kids. There were three at the orphanage that Katherine and I met the year before we left. Rebecca, 3, Sebastian, 5, and Noah, 8, and we agreed to help out at the orphanage to keep an eye on them until we got the paper work filled out to take them into our house. Rebecca, Sebastian and Noah were everything to us. They were all from the same family and that made taking the three of them easier. To us, they were our children and when I found out that I was enlisted, not only did Katherine cry, but Rebecca, Noah and Sebastian cried too.

When I left I made sure to say goodbye to Katherine and the kids, kissing them all on the forehead and leaving them was difficult, hearing their cries, but I promised them that I would return and we would finally be a family. Little did I know, that a new disease spread through my home town soon after I left. Like I promised, I wrote to Katherine every day, and she replied, telling me about the cottage and how much she missed me. She often talked about the orphanage and how much Noah wishes he could be there to fight alongside me.” I laugh at how proud Noah always sounded when talking about fighting for his country. I always told him that his time would come, but that’s not now as I ruffled his hair.

“I was shocked one day to see that her letters had stopped coming. No longer was I informed about the orphanage, or how another part of the cottage needed fixing when I returned back home. The boys that I met on the front line constantly asked about the letters, but I never told them. I was worried that her Father had found her and tried to take her back, a fear that she has always had. Nightmares and terrors haunting her since she was old enough to comprehend what situation she was in. When this thought crossed my mind, I continued to write, hopefully persuading him of my dedication to the relationship I had with his daughter. It wasn’t until a week later when I heard about the tuberculosis disease spreading through the town and I was notified of the death of Katherine and the three children.

I could feel hot hears sliding down my cheeks now at the memory of that day. “I was distraught beyond belief. I had in my hands the death notice which held the four names of the people I loved the most, dead. I was going back home in a couple of months to nothing. The house that we owned was no longer mine and Katherine’s, it was just mine. The big oak tree by the river was no longer our meeting place, it was simply a place where I would scatter her ashes and finally, the orphanage that housed our children and our own childhoods was vacant, merely another building that will be knocked down after the epidemic. The rose garden that fenced the building is all that will be left standing when I return, that is where my children’s ashes lay.” I couldn’t continue as my voice broke and my body was wracked with sobs.

Caitlyn’s arms wrapped around my waist as it was now her turn to pull me in and comfort me. I curled into her chest and started to cry harder. She pulled me back onto the bed and we lay down in each other’s arms, tears still flowing freely from my eyes. “I know that they were never truly my children, but holding their ashes in my hands and scattering them on the ground that held so many memories, for so many years. I-” Once again, my voice broke, preventing me from continuing.

“Shh, no. They were your children Harry. It’s a tough thing to go through, believe me. You cannot blame yourself or hold this on yourself. You had a family and you began a life, but when you lost them, you lost yourself. I had lost my parents at a young age too and when I lost them, I lost myself. I turned to self-harm and on occasion, suicide. I was placed into a hospital, under a strict watch, when I was found lying on my bathroom floor unconscious in a small pool of my own blood by Ebony.

I slowly got over my addiction to self-harm, because that’s what it is, an addiction, and I got back on my feet and studied. I had a tutor when I was in hospital and then for my two VCE years I returned to school and realised that I wanted to help people like me, because I’ve been there, on the brink of life and death, and I didn’t want anyone to feel what I did just years before. I stopped harming myself and turned to the only thing that I knew would keep me from going back into a relapse, and that was to suppress everything that I had experienced. Now listen to me.” She says as she grasps my head in her hands and forces me to look into her blue eyes that are glistening with unshed tears. “You loved them. I don’t blame you for holding this back for all of these years, but now that you have told me, you can’t shut me out, but for now, let’s just lay here, ok?” I just nod my head solemnly whilst nuzzling into her.

“T-Thank-you.” I stutter out and sniffle into her chest. I close my eyes tightly, trying to block out the images of my past. Caitlyn rubs small circles on my back to calm me as more sobs and choked cries escape from my lips. Her fingers slowly run through my curls and massage my scalp lightly as she shushes me.

“It’s alright. It will all be ok, you just need time.” She slowly rocks us back and forth before pulling away slightly and looking me in the eye. She then leans forward and places a soft kiss to my lips before pulling away and we once again curl in on each other. It seems like hours. We just lay there, tears no longer falling and the heavy solemn ambience, no longer hanging about us. We lay in a comforting silence as I listen to her heartbeat and she listens to my breathing. 

Neither one of us having the energy to get up, nor being tired enough to sleep. Until finally, she breaks the silence with a small sigh and a slight laugh.

“So, I guess the shops is out of the question?” We both laugh loudly now, finding the question funnier than it should be, a side-effect of the earlier conversation. I look up into her eyes that are now shimmering with amusement and not sadness or unshed tears.

“I guess so.” I say before sighing contentedly and laying my head back down, happy that we are no longer burdened by our pasts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another glimpse into 1861 Harry. Love you guys xx


	16. The Masquerade Ball

*Cait’s POV*   
It feels like hours that she lays there in Harry’s arms, breathing in his unique scent. His deep breathing lightly ruffling her hair. Cait looks up at him and notices the peace that his face holds as he lays there silently. She can’t help but smile as his eyes flutter open slowly and peer down into hers. “C’mon. You said that you needed to go to the shops.” Harry says, but before she could answer him, her phone started to ring.

Cait sighed and walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone. Ebony was frantic on the other end of the phone, yelling at Cait whilst Harry just laughs at her enthusiasm. “Ebony calm down, I’ll be there! I didn’t mean to forget, look, we aren’t allowed to know who each other is anyway. It’s a masquerade! I will be there and I will have a date.” She says turning to look at Harry who has found her sunglasses and a hat, something that he thinks is a disguise for the shops. “I’ll call you before I’m about to leave and I won’t see you at 8pm tonight in the community hall.” She jokes. Cait finally hangs up the phone just as Harry snakes his arms around her waist making her jump slightly.

“So who is this date and when can I kill him?” Harry says, a small chuckle escaping his lips. “It’s you, you idiot!” She says, lightly punching Harry’s arm. “The university holds a masquerade ball each year for the final year students to congratulate them on nearly completing their degrees. It’s held two weeks before the final assignments and I nearly forgot all about it and we still need to go to the shops and get a couple of things and then we need to come home and start getting ready, since it’s already, four o’clock!” This causes Harry to laugh harder and she pulls him quickly out the door towards her car.  
   
*7:30pm*   
“Harry! We need to leave in ten minutes. I hope you are ready!” Cait yells down to him from her bedroom as she is applying the last touch to her makeup. She decided to wear a stunning black dress that had red marbled through it with buttercup sleeves. The dress came in at the waist and flowed out like a ball gown down to her feet which were covered in four inch black heels. Her hair was curled and pinned to one side, flowing down over her shoulder. She had smoky eyes and deep red lips that looked like blood, a special touch for Harry.

Finally, her mask was a deep red colour, covered in a thin black lace that has a flower pattern. All of the edges of the mask were lined with a black rope whilst the very top had a black crown jewel. Finally the mask was finished with a black feather and bunched black lace that soon ended in a couple of lines of loose black pearls to add to its elegance. Cait carefully tied the ribbon around her hair and walked down the stairs to find Harry waiting for her at the bottom of the stairway.

His head was turned away and he didn’t notice her until she gasped at his appearance. He was in a perfectly tailored suit with his hair slicked back and he wore a large silver mask that covered half of his cheeks. The mask inked into black around his eyes, matching his personality perfectly and bringing out the green in his eyes. Harry turned to face her, his eyes widening at her beauty.

Cait blushes at his stare but continues until she is now on the same level as him. He grabs her wrist and places a small kiss there before he slides a corsage past her hand. She look down to see that it is a black rose that is surrounded with diamonds and pearls. She gasps at its beauty and thanks Harry silently by pecking his lips. Cait looks down and notices that Harry is wearing a deep, blood red tie. “How did you know?” She says, questioning his colour choice. “I always know.” Harry says, pressing a kiss to her temple before linking their arms and leading her out to the car.

A slick black ’67 Chevrolet Impala is waiting for the both of them and Cait just smiles up at Harry. The windows are completely blacked out and she feels spoilt, as if she is a celebrity. The both of them slide into the back seat and as soon as Harry closes the door the car drives off, towards their destination. Harry links their fingers together and his thumb brushes the top of her hand. “You look stunning.” He says, a low whisper in her ear, as if he is afraid that someone might hear him. 

They both arrive at the party and Cait isn’t surprised to find that there is a red carpet leading them inside with people who are taking photos. As the doors are opened Cait and Harry are met with bright flashes of the supposed ‘paparazzi’, to which Harry tenses at firstly, but when Cait squeezes his hand, he realises that it’s staged. Her and Harry share a small laugh as they pose for a couple of photos, before Harry links their arms once more and leads her inside.

Once inside, a woman on the door takes her wrap and Harry’s overcoat. She notices multiple men watching her walk down the stairs to the dance floor and then Harry’s arm linking around her waist. She leans into his touch and kisses his cheek, loving that the heels have given her the extra height to meet him eye to eye, “Don’t worry. They don’t have a chance with me. I’m yours.” At this comment, Harry gives her one of his infamous smiles, showing off his dimples. Cait and Harry walk into the middle of the dance floor and start to dance to the first song that comes on. As the theme is King and Queen’s Masquerade, all of the songs are elegant ballroom dancing, which she knows nothing of, yet Harry seems to know everything. 

“When I was in the army, we had compulsory dances in the town hall. I never knew how to ballroom dance and the night before I was so nervous I couldn’t hold a conversation. Niall noticed this and took me by the hand and taught me how to dance, earning lots of crap from the boys the next couple of days. Thankfully, I didn’t make a fool of myself in front of the local girls.” Harry laughs lightly at the memory.

Cait looks deep into his eyes as the two of them continuously spin and move around the room with the other couples like they have been dancing with each other for years. As the song starts to slow and eventually stops Cait hears a whispered “Cait?!” she immediately recognizes the voice. 

“Ebony! Wow! You look beautiful! And James, you look very smart!” She says, winking at Ebony’s boyfriend and date for tonight. He huffs at her and then pokes his tongue out at her cheekily before he wraps his arms around her in a big hug. Harry’s eyes narrow at this stranger and when she is released from James’ embrace, his hand intertwines with hers and squeezes it tightly, showing that she is his.

James offers to get them all drinks, which they all accept and Harry says that he will accompany him to assist him, but also to keep a close eye on this James character. Cait laughs and shakes her head slightly at his protective nature and turn back to Ebony’s steely gaze.

 “You two seem chummy.” She says, giving her the tell-me-all-you-know-about-this-gorgeous-man look. “Where did you meet that gorgeous creature.” Ebony says, making her laugh slightly at the use of the word ‘creature’. If only she knew.

“The café.” Cait says. Well it’s not a complete lie, but what is she meant to say? ‘Oh yeah, we met at the café, he’s really Harry Styles the serial killer that we studied in class and he’s actually a vampire, that explains all of his victims doesn’t it?’ Next thing you know, you’d be the one in the Mental Asylum! “Earth to Caitlyn!” Ebony says, waving a hand in front of her eyes making her snap back into reality. “Maybe I should come to the café more often! So, cute barista or just a hot customer?” She says, laughing along with her. “Definitely a hot customer, but he just sat down at my table and started talking to me. He said that he was watching me for a while and was interested in what I was doing on my laptop.” Cait says, once again saying only a part of the truth. Ebony laughs with her once again, this time, she laughs in disbelief. 

“So your constant obsession with all things work finally paid off.” Before she could say or ask anything else, Harry and James had returned with the drinks. “So, you haven’t told me his name!” Ebony says to her, eyes shimmering with a hopeful look.

She swallowed thickly. Cait didn’t think of this, but all of a sudden Harry leans over and takes her hand in his and kisses her knuckles. “Harold. My name is Harold.” She released the breath that she didn’t know she was holding and silently thanked him.

 “So Cait could call you Harry for short?” Ebony asks, not realizing what she just asked, but she couldn’t miss it.

 “No, no. It’s just Harold.” Harry says, smiling courteously at her.

Once again, Cait sighed in relief that Harry’s cover wasn’t blown. She thanked Harry as he handed her the clear cup of red liquid, hoping that it wasn’t spiked. Harry leans down to rest his lips against her ear.

 “Don’t worry love. It’s not spiked, I checked.” Harry said, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear and his hot breath on her neck. Cait shivered at his closeness before flicking her eyes back to Ebony. 

“You guys are too cute, but come on,” She says, downing her drink, like it’s a shot of vodka. “I wanna dance!” She says before grabbing James’ hand and pulling him away, only catching his helpless expression before they are swallowed by the crowd. 

“James asked me where I met you. Good thing for me that I have vampire hearing and our stories won’t be wrong.” He chuckled before leading her onto the dance floor, but just before her heels clicked against the polished hardwood oak of the dance floor, a light tapping on her shoulder caught Cait’s attention. She turned to look at a middle aged man who was dressed quite fancily in a light grey tux and a skinny black tie.

“May I have this dance and step in?” He asks, looking towards Harry almost as if he is her father and he is the teenage boy asking for a date. Harry’s hand squeezes hers and his eyes are telling her no, but she soon realizes who this stranger is.

 “Professor Hardings!” She says before releasing her hand from Harry’s to hug him quickly. Harry’s stare becomes hard and unmoving from Professor Hardings.

“Sir, this is Harold. Harold, this is Professor Hardings.” Harry stiffly moves his hand outwards and shakes Hardings’ hand. The way Hardings rubs his wrist after Harry lets go does not go unnoticed by Cait and she gives Harry a death glare. “I would love to dance!” She says giving Harry a quick kiss on the cheek before being led onto the dance floor. 

Harry watches as she goes. His eyes never leaving her sight throughout the whole song. Cait may not remember what he did to her, but he certainly did.

He remembered everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooooh! Part 2 up soon! Love you guys xx


	17. The Masquerade Ball Part II

*Harry’s POV*  
He couldn’t help but growl lowly at the scene before him. Here he was, standing in the corner of the community hall watching as his girl laughed and danced with her professor. The same professor that tried to rape her not two weeks ago! Harry took a swig of the sickly sweet red liquid laughing at the irony of the colour. He was so pissed he could kill someone, make them watch as he drained them of their blood and their life! He wished that the punch was spiked so that he didn’t feel the anger that coursed through him. Harry nearly didn’t recognize the end of the song and how Professor Hardings had escorted Caitlyn out onto the balcony.

Where the hell was he taking her and what did was he thinking. Harry didn’t follow her, nor did he speed to her side, instead he stays in his corner and listens to the both of them. All of his attention focused solely on the man that he doesn’t trust and the girl that he loves.

*Cait’s POV*  
“You know you look beautiful tonight.” Professor Hardings says, resting a hand on her shoulder.

“Thank-you Professor Hardings. I didn’t know that you would be here tonight. I thought that it was just for the students.” She says, moving away from his cold hands.

“Well, we always drop in to check on things. I’m glad I did. That Harold character. He doesn’t like me all that much does he?” He chuckles, but she can’t ignore the seriousness in his voice.

“He’s just very protective. He loves me and I love him.” She says, looking out at the city lights that pepper the night sky.

“Is it possible that his name is Harry?” Professor Hardings says, making Cait now look at him, but not daring to let her shock show.

“No. It’s just Harold.” She says, happy with her confidence and unwavering voice.

“I would like it if you would stay away from him.” Professor Hardings says, not even giving her a reason as to why she should listen to him.

“Thank-you for this talk Professor Hardings but I-” She is cut off before she is able to bid him goodbye.

“Please, call me Craig.” At those words her memory is flooded with images that she has never seen before. Professor Hardings’ voice cuts through, but it’s not the man in front of her talking. 

“Shut up! Don’t call me that. Call me Craig. Professor Hardings kind of kills the mood for me.” Why does her face hurt? Did Professor Hardings slap her? Why is she crying? Oh god, he’s kissing her. Harry, Harry! Where is Harry!

“I-I need to go.” She says, before retreating back into the hall, on the verge of tears as the horrid memory plays over in her mind. Why had she never seen this before? I need to find Harry! They were the only two thoughts running through her mind, even blocking out Professor calling after her, wondering if he had said something wrong.

*Harry’s POV*  
I heard her thoughts. How did she remember? What did that pig do to her to make her remember? It was rare for a compulsion to be broken, only if a proper memory cue is used, or the vampire that compelled them breaks it. The worst part about being able to hear everything is, although it’s great to listen in on specific conversations, you couldn’t see what was happening physically unless you were there.

I noted how she walked back through the doors, frantic to get away, tears brimming her eyes. A short, high pitched gasp escaped her lips as a hand rested on her wrist, turning her to face the professor once more. “What did I do? I’m sorry if I offended you, but I just don’t trust him.” Professor Hardings says.

*Cait’s POV*  
Just the simple touch of his hand on her wrist brings back the memory of him holding her wrists beside her head as he kissed her, forcing his tongue into Cait’s mouth. By this time, Harry had had enough and was walking, as slowly and calmly as possible, across the dance floor towards the small doors that led out onto the balcony.

It was obvious that Hardings hadn’t remembered a thing, coming close to finding out Harry’s true identity under his mask, but still, Hardings was oblivious, whilst Cait was close to having a mental break down in front of the man that nearly raped her. She still doesn’t know if he took her, her mind screaming that he probably did, but she didn’t want to find out if her suspicions were true or not.

How could he ask her such stupid questions? Why couldn’t he see the hurt that he’s already put her through? Has he forgotten about this incident? Forgotten? That’s it! He was compelled to forget, just like she was, that explains the loss of the memory. Harry. Once more, her mind filled with his name and she struggled to remove Hardings’ grasp from her wrist, but before she could struggle further to get away, she heard Harry’s voice, the sight of him making her relax and making Hardings drop his hand.

“Any problems over here?” Harry says calmly before snaking his arms around her waist. She melts slightly into his touch, feeling safe and secure. She looks back up at Hardings who seems to back away a little bit before shaking his head.

“I just feel a bit under the weather and it’s getting late. I should go say goodbye to Ebony and James.” She says, looking directly at Hardings before kissing Harry quickly but passionately. 

*Harry’s POV*  
Hardings lowers his gaze and Harry can’t help but smirk. Harry plays along with the ‘feeling under the weather act’ Cait knowing full well that he was listening to her.

“I’ll come with you.” Harry says, pulling away slightly before intertwining their fingers together. “It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Hardings.” Harry says, smirking at the small sneer that Hardings tries to hide with a smile, but fails terribly.

“Professor Hardings, and yes, it has been Harry.” He says, a triumphant smirk on his lips. Cait stiffens slightly at the name, but Harry stays calm and collected.

“It’s Harold, just Harold.” Harry says, his grip tightening on Hardings’ hand on the word “just”.

The rest of the night goes smoothly as they both say goodbye to Ebony and James. Cait needs to use the restroom before they leave which gives Harry ample time to call the car and say to meet them out the front in five minutes.

*Cait’s POV – In The Car*  
“That was a wonderful night.” Cait says, resting her head on Harry’s shoulder before falling asleep. When they arrive back at her home, Harry doesn’t dare wake her from her peaceful slumber so he picks her up bridal style and carries Cait inside of the house after tipping the driver for an excellent day’s work.

*Harry’s POV*  
Harry opens the door with ease and carries her inside before placing her on the bed, her hair fanning out on the pillow beneath her. Harry hates to do this, but he has to wake her up to get her out of the dress. Sleepily, she unties the corset strings at the back and slips the expensive dress from her body, revealing a black lace panty and bra set with little ivory bows on each hip and in between her cleavage.

Harry’s mouth watered at the sight before him, but he knew how tired she was, both physically and emotionally so he pulled off her heels and undressed himself, using the plain white t-shirt of his that he wore that day shopping, to slip over her head as a nightie. Harry kissed Cait’s forehead which made her sigh contentedly and smile before falling back into a deep sleep in Harry’s arms. Harry reached down to pull the blankets up over her and turn the bedside lamp off.

“Tomorrow love, we will talk about all that you want to know. God I wish I didn’t have to ever talk to you about this, but I guess the time has come for you to face your demons and tell you the truth. I love you so much.” Harry whispered softly against her hair, kissing the crown of her head before he too closed his eyes and rested, relaxing to the soothing sound of her heart beat and steady deep breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this story is slowly starting to come to an end, and I promise it will not end unresolved or with any remaining questions, but if there are any questions you want to ask me, about characters, plot or just random questions, even about me! Drop me a comment and I'll answer as soon as I can! ANYTHING!! :3 Love you guys! xx


	18. The Truth In The Compulsion

*Cait’s POV*  
Cait awoke to Harry’s thumb lightly stroking her cheek. She opens her eyes to look at Harry, his green eyes shimmering with love and amusement as she sleepily smiles at him. His thumb brushes lightly over her bottom lip as she looks at his lips, silently begging him to kiss her. This causes Harry to just laugh lightly before leaning in to kiss the pout off of her lips. She feels relaxed as Harry deepens the kiss, his hands cupping her face as he rolls the both of them over so that he is laying on top of her. She tangles her legs with his as he lowers his head to her neck and sucks on the sensitive skin over her bite mark.

Cait whimpers as her hands tangle in his curls pulling him in for another kiss before she gently pushes him off of her. Harry seems to be taken back by this action but she just pecks his lips again before he hears her thoughts and his eyes fall away from hers. “I’m not angry, but I want to know what happened.” She says, lifting his chin to make him look at her. There was a long pause before Harry decided to talk.

“About two weeks ago now, there was an incident at school that involved you and,” Harry paused, feeling choked as the images that he had suppressed for so long flooded back to him. “You and-”. Cait cut him off, already knowing the answer.

“Me and Professor Hardings.” She says, more of a question than a knowing statement. “What did he do to me?” She says, looking into Harry’s eyes, worried of the answer that she already knows.

“If you already know, why bother me telling you.” Harry says, spitting it out with anger and sadness. Cait just looks at him with pleading eyes, unshed tears making them glisten. He knows that it’s because this talk isn’t just for her sake, but for his as well, she knows that apart of him is still haunted by that day. Despite Harry’s pain, he continues with the story, never letting go of her hand for support.

“I had dropped you off that morning. You only had one lecture, but you insisted on going in anyway, even though you are a head of your class and an A+ student. It had come to the end of the lesson and I was on my way to pick you up, being slightly late as I stopped by the café to pick you up a muffin as I knew that in your rush that morning, you had forgotten to eat something. I had walked through the front gate to hear a struggle far off. I couldn’t hear who it was, but I had a horrible feeling that you were in trouble. I walked closer to where the sound was coming from and I heard him tell you to shut up. I raced towards the lecture theatre, forgetting about the muffin. I heard a loud crack and I knew that he had hit you.” She pulls her hand away from his to lay on her cheek, her eyes flicking up to his.

“I remember that, I remember him slapping me and then telling me to call him Craig.” Her breathing stuttered at the memory and the look that Harry gave her. He looked as if he was begging for her forgiveness. This made her confused. Why was he sorry? He saved her!

“When I heard that, my blood boiled. I sped through the doors to see, him,” Harry spits. “Holding you against the wall with his hand around your neck and he was forcing you to kiss him. He was about to slap you again, until I saw his hand ball into a fist. I didn’t even think before I sped over to him, ripped him off of you and raced him outside. I threatened him, making him forget all about his infatuation with you before I broke his arm, telling him that he had fallen down the stairs. I raced back in to find you not against the wall, but-” Cait cut Harry off once again, surprising him with how much she remembered.

“But up packing my books as fast as I could. I turned around and bumped into you and I screamed, thinking that Professor Hardings had come back for more. It wasn’t until your arms wrapped around me when I realised that you had found me. I didn’t know how, but all I knew what that I was finally safe.”

“You couldn’t stop crying and I just wanted to kiss you and make it better, but everything that you had been through, I knew it wasn’t my best idea. I had picked you up and took you home, making you sit on the couch whilst I took care of you.” Harry stopped, squeezing his eyes shut to try and shut out the images that he’s lived with since that day. Cait had caught on to the pain that crossed his face and she couldn’t help but cup his cheek with her hand, brushing her thumb over his jawline. Harry looks into her eyes and she ends up seeing everything that he can see. She gasps as the images fly by her eyes.

*She is curled up on the couch quietly sobbing to herself, her shoulders are shaking and her eyes are shut tightly. I wet the cloth that is on her kitchen sink and walk over to her, sitting her up and putting her head in my lap. I wipe her face with the cool wash cloth and then press it gently to her forehead. She finally opens her eyes and her eyes are red and dark from crying. “There she is.” I say soothingly, smiling at her. She doesn’t smile, but she takes in a deep breath.

Her tears stop as she looks into my eyes. I hate seeing them emotionless, without any light, like she’s dead. I pull her up to hold her again, reassuring myself that she is alive. Making sure that I can still hear her heart beating and hear her blood rushing through her veins. She looks up at me and tears well up again in her beautiful eyes. I rub her shoulder as she pushes the tears back. She sits up properly and then stands.

She stands up and then turns to face Harry. “You can compel people to forget, yes?” Harry looks at her confused, but then slowly nods his head, not grasping onto what she wants him to do. “Then make me forget Harry. I can’t live with knowing what nearly happened to me today. Make me forget!”*

Cait pulls away from Harry, not wanting to see any more of what happened that day. Her head hurts, like she has a migraine, but it’s not as strong. She can’t stand to see these images, these same pictures that Harry has been seeing for two weeks now. “You erased my memory.” Cait says, making Harry wince, afraid that she was mad at him, but really, she was grateful for going through with something that she had known he never wanted to do. He never wanted to hurt her or compel her.

Cait pulls Harry in for a hug and kisses his cheek, something that causes Harry’s tears to spill over. “Its ok, it’s ok. I’m not mad. I know that it caused you so much pain that day to do that to me.” She feels Harry starting to curl in on himself, a defence mechanism that she has noticed since Harry’s attack on the young girl when she was talking to him. She couldn’t help but wonder if Harry did this back in the orphanage when he would have nightmares and not have anyone there to hold him through it.

“I-I-I never wanted to use my c-compulsion on y-you. I l-love you, and I-I didn’t w-want you t-to get hurt.” Harry stutters between gulps of air. Cait rubs her hands along his back, trying to calm him as best as possible. Harry continues to cry into her chest, wetting her shirt. She cups Harry’s cheeks and forces his face to be level with hers as she look into his eyes that are red rimmed and wet. She kisses him deeply, trying to show Harry how much she cares for him and loves him.

“I know. I know you didn’t, but you helped me. You stopped me from hurting myself further. It wasn’t your fault Harry. You couldn’t have stopped it from happening.” She mumbles breathlessly against his lips, kissing him again, this time slower and gently, making sure to memorise the feeling of his lips pressed against hers, tasting Harry, the mixture of peppermint and iron blending with the saltiness of his tears. Harry pulls away abruptly, a frown creasing his forehead as his gaze flicks between her eyes.

“I could have stopped it though! I should have stopped it. I should have been there earlier. I was late to come and get you and if I was there earlier none of this would have happened!” Harry pulled away harshly and started fisting at his hair before he relapsed and balled his hands into fists and hit himself in the side of the head. This took Cait back a bit, having not seen this since one of their first sessions. She jumps up and without thinking she grabs his wrists in attempt to stop him from hurting himself. With Harry’s super strength she knows that she would never be able to stop him, but she hoped that Harry would register her touch of one that shows him that he hasn’t done anything wrong.

Harry continues to beat at his head until he splits the side of his eyebrow open and a drop of blood runs down the side of his face. Harry keeps beating at his head, continuously reopening the healing wound on his eyebrow. “Harry, stop. Harry, please, stop. Harry!” It didn’t seem like Harry was going to stop until she remembered something. “Harold!” She yelled at him, still holding his wrists in an attempt at calming him. At the mention of his proper name he froze, wide eyes looking into hers as the glassy look in his eyes dissipates into his normal emerald green ones. “You did all you could do. You saved me and I couldn’t ask for anything more.” Cait says, never breaking eye contact with him to show him that she means it. She slowly leans in to kiss him and show him how much she loves him, but he pulls away.

“I’m not a hero. I’m a monster.” Harry says with venom in his voice. Cait looks at Harry with wide sympathetic eyes and she is fighting with herself internally not to give up on him. “If you were a monster, you would have killed me and left me by now.” Harry doesn’t say anything, blood still running down the side of his face. She wants to kiss him, to get him to respond, but she knows that that’s not what he wants. Instead she gets up and wets a cloth in the kitchen, knowing that Harry’s eyes haven’t left her movements. She walks back slowly towards him, afraid that she’ll scare him away and kneel down in front of him, in between his legs, so that she can reach his face without either of them straining to reach one another.

Cait slowly and gently wipes away the blood that has formed on his jaw, then on his cheek and finally up around his eyebrow. She tilts his head from left to right gently to see if she missed any before she folds the cloth over and wipes away his tears that have dried on his cheeks and lips. It seems to be that everything goes in slow motion from then on. Her eyes meet his as her finger lightly grazes over his wet lip. His breath gets caught in his throat as he sees the look of pure love in her eyes. He watches the way her tongue slowly peaks out to wet her lips and how she swallows to try and wet her dry mouth. He watches the way her eyelashes flutter closed as she fits her lips together with his perfectly. He revels in the electricity that he feels when she deepens the kiss, tilting her head only slightly to feel the way his lips gently open her mouth so that he can explore it with his tongue. He moans into the kiss when her hand tangles in his curls, her nails scraping ever so gently against his scalp.

She has to pull back, she needs to breathe, but at the same time, she didn’t want to ruin this beautiful moment made by the two of them, due to her lack of oxygen. Harry senses it though and pulls away. They are both panting hard, never breaking eye contact, in fear that the other will disappear. She wishes she could stay like this forever, she wanted to stay in bed all day, kissing Harry and not talking, just holding one another as they silently tell each other how much the other means to them and how they wouldn’t be able to understand themselves if not for the other person. Cait wishes that she could put into words the emotions that she feels when they are apart, but it’s nearly impossible to do so without becoming angry and confused. For now, she only cares about how much she loves him and how to show him that.

Cait sees Harry’s eyes slowly start to ink black and she knows that he has gone a day or two without a proper feed. She tilts her head to the side silently inviting Harry to feed, but he shakes his head and takes her wrist instead. “I have hurt you enough.” He says, his low voice wrapping around her head in a smooth embrace. She pulls her hand away and shakes her head back at Harry. “No.” Harry looks shocked before he growls and bares his teeth. She is stuck of what to do to try and get leverage over the situation, so she imitates his actions and growls back at him, baring her teeth. Harry immediately retracts surprised and scared at her actions. This seems to spur Harry on though as he surges forward and kisses her hard before tilting her head and kissing down her neck. Her breathing quickens, anticipating his teeth, instead getting his lips, making bruises rise to the surface.

Cait whimpers, trying to tell Harry to bite her but nothing comes out. Harry ignores her, but he runs his tongue over her pulse point, making her gasp and clutch the back of his neck. Harry takes a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her blood and she can hear the way he growls lowly in his throat. “It’s ok.” She says, baring her neck further in a silent invitation. Then, just as she thinks Harry is going to kiss her neck again, he slowly pushes his teeth into her neck. Cait gasps at the pressure and the slight sting, but soon moans as he starts to suck at the sensitive skin.

After what feels like too short a time, in fact it was two minutes, Harry pulls off and licks up any remaining blood on the wound before biting into his wrist to give her his blood to heal her wound. “Now I have a bite from you and Niall.” Cait laughs lightly, making Harry laugh and growl playfully before kissing her passionately. She pushes him off though when she can’t breathe.

“Did you growl at me?” Harry asks, only now realizing what she did. Cait blushes deeply at his words before Harry kisses her more fiercely now. “God that’s hot.” Harry mumbles against her lips before she pulls back and laughs loudly making Harry laugh loudly too. “You know, for a University Student that has a major assignment due in less than two weeks, you sure don’t do a lot of work.” Harry teases, but he knows that she has been taking notes when she thinks he doesn’t notice, or when he isn’t here.

“I’ll have you know that I’m practically finished my report on you.” Cait says with a smile and then proceeds to stick her tongue out at him. Harry mocks offense before pecking her on the lips. “I just have to get one more interview with you and then I’m done.” She says, actually proud of herself for how hard she’s worked on this assignment, given all of the hardships, and distractions, she’s faced throughout.

“Hey, I’m not a distraction!” Harry says before proving his point perfectly, sarcasm intended, by leaning in and kissing her before she pushes him back, making Harry pout at her.

“You are such a distraction! I have to go shopping today.” She says, waiting for Harry to perk up. He loves being able to go out with her and not be noticed. He loves the thought of holding her hand and kissing her in front of people and all they’ll think is that they are two crazy kids in love. Harry bounds off of the bed and all of a sudden, with renewed energy, he’s bouncing on the spot.

“Come on then. Let’s go!” Harry says, grabbing Cait’s hat and sunglasses and slipping into his skinny jeans that he left here before the ball. He looks at her, sitting in bed, still wearing his t-shirt and he can’t help but smile at how gorgeous she looks. “Love, as much as I adore seeing you in my clothing. I really can’t go out there with no shirt.” Harry says, making her realise that she still has his shirt on from sleeping. She blushes, but then gives Harry a knowing look before getting out of bed and pushing him out of her room.

“I’ll give it to you once I’m decent and ready.” She says as she locks her bedroom door. All she hears from Harry is a whine and a huff as he sits down in front of her door, waiting for her.

*At the shops*  
“I still can’t believe that you are getting away with this look. It’s so obvious who you are!” Cait mumbles quietly whilst looking over the different yogurts, before picking Raspberry and white chocolate and moving on.

“It’s because no one suspects it’s me. 1. I’m out in the open, something a wanted serial killer would never do, unless they’re mental, which we both know I am anyway.” This brings a smile to her face, making Harry lower his, her, sunglasses on the bridge of his nose so he can wiggle his eyebrows at her. “2. Everyone thinks I’m dead or gone missing, because they haven’t heard of me for ages. Finally, anyone who suspects anything would immediately think otherwise when they see me do this.” Harry says before leaning in and kissing her lovingly on the lips, making her smile into the kiss, only for Harry to pull away. Cait pouts at Harry, earning her a quick peck before he puts some milk in the shopping trolley and starts walking down the aisle towards the cheese and juice section, getting her a block of tasty cheese.

“You know I could get used to this.” Cait says, making Harry stop looking at the difference between the price of the Orange Juice and the price of the Apple Juice.

“What love? You talking and me doing all the actual shopping?” He mocks, laughing lightly when she bumps him with her hip playfully.

“The shopping together, waking up together. Living together.” She says, making Harry put both of the juices down before turning fully to her. Cait knows what’s coming, but she doesn’t want to hear him say it.

“You know I can’t do that. I made a promise to you that once this assignment is done, I’m gone. When they find out that you have been keeping in contact with me all these weeks, they’re gonna come looking for me. I have to disappear, and as much as that breaks my heart, it’s the truth and you know it.” For once, she doesn’t feel like crying. She sighs and breathes deeply before returning her gaze to Harry’s eyes and nodding slowly, before Harry wraps his arms around her.

“I know.” Is all Cait says before returning her attention back to the juice stand. “I’ll take the apple.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of love how this chapter ends...just one of my favourite endings. :) Love you guys! xx


	19. No, He's Brilliant

*Harry’s POV*  
I sat down in front of her and the camera for the last time. I had no idea what she had planned for the interview as she was smart enough to not think about it. “Will you stop listening to my thoughts?” Caitlyn says from across the room, collecting all of her papers and journals together before walking over and putting them on the table. “And don’t even dream about using that speed of yours to sneak a look at what I have written about you.” She calls out, laughing lightly, her back now facing him.

“It’s scary how much you know me now.” He says. “What’s worse is that you can hold your thoughts back from me.” He says, pouting slightly. “You’re stronger than I thought.” He mumbles, making her turn around and look at him.

“Harry. I know you hate that this is our last session together, but like you said, this is for the better. You can’t be found.” She says, making Harry wince at the slight pain twisted into her voice.

“I know, but” I’m mainly doing it for you, is what he wanted to say.

“But you don’t want to say good bye.” She says. He nods, letting himself believe that this option will hurt her less and make saying good bye easier, even though he knew that that was a lie. “C’mon, let’s start.” She says, pressing the record button on the camera.

*Cait’s POV*  
“So Harry, as you may know, this is the last interview. I just have one final question for you.” She says, looking to him for acceptance on the go ahead. Harry nods and she smiles, making him want to kiss her. “Do you believe that you have changed, Harry?” This question takes Harry by surprise and she notes in her head how he seems to really question if he’s changed or not.

“I believe I have. In a way I have realised that my actions caused more harm than good. One of the first reasons why I had started to kill people was because I was looking for revenge, whilst also trying to fill the need of covering up who I really was in my past. I hated myself, and in a way, I still hate myself for what I have done to innocent people. I guess I really couldn’t come to that conclusion unless I realised a change in myself. If I may be so inclined? Do you think that I have changed, for the better?”

Cait looks at Harry and smiles, knowing that he’s done this on purpose, playing up the role of the innocent interviewee going against the rules of an interview. “To be honest with you Harry. I do. I think that over the sessions that we have met and talked, you have come to the understanding of what you have done and you show sympathy. You show a genuine pain when I read out the names of the female victims that have fallen to your, quoting yourself, mercy killings.” Cait saw Harry’s eyes welling up with tears, knowing that this was really difficult for him, but she continued, knowing that he needed to hear this.

“You have realised that by trying to cover up your pain, you are just creating pain for others, and whilst that makes you feel better, it only lasts for a short time before you need to cover the pain again. You became addicted to the feeling of that release that you felt when you took someone’s life. Eventually, you discovered that you didn’t need to take someone’s life to relieve yourself of that pain in your past.” You just needed to be loved. Is what she wanted to say, but for the sake of the assignment she didn’t dare say anything along those lines, leaving it where it was, allowing Harry to take in the evaluation that she was going to add to the end of the presentation, but now she could just show the video. Thank-you Harry.

Harry, of course, heard what she was thinking and he smiled, a tear finally rolling down his cheek before he quickly wipes it away with the back of his hand. “I think we are done here Harry. Thank-you for your co-operation in this project.” And with that, Cait pressed the record button and ended the interview. She turns around to thank Harry again, but instead she bumps into him and squeaks as he slowly walks her back to the couch, his eyes never leaving her lips, especially as she speaks. “I have to make dinner.” Harry laughs lightly, she can tell that he doesn’t mean it though. It’s more of a mocking laugh.

“That can wait. This first.” He says before pressing forward and kissing her. Cait sighs into the kiss and snakes her hands into his hair, pulling slightly making him growl lightly. One of Harry’s hands rests against her thigh, whilst the other hand is placed on the back of her neck, deepening the kiss. Before she knows it, Harry pulls back, his eyes still closed as she looks over his features. Cait notices that Harry has never looked more peaceful than he does now. “Will you ever stop analysing me?” He chuckles, his eyes still closed as she laughs and pecks his lips quickly before walking into the kitchen to start dinner.

Throughout her preparation of dinner the two of them hold a light conversation. Harry silently packing up her camera, tripod and books, which surprises Cait when she turns around to peel some potatoes and carrots in the sink, to find the equipment stacked neatly on her coffee table. She thinks to herself, knowing that Harry is listening, how amazing she thinks he is. She looks up at Harry quickly to see a smug smirk tugging at his lips, making her smile and laugh under her breath. As she slowly mixes the minced meat filling for the pasties, she feels Harry’s arms snake around her waist and his chin rest against her shoulder. Cait leans into Harry, closing her eyes briefly, loving the way this feels so easy and natural.

“I should confess.” Harry whispers, making her open her eyes at the seriousness in his tone. Harry takes the spoon from her hand to bring it to his lips and taste the filling, humming at the taste. “You should be a professional cook.” He says making her laugh.

“It’s just a pasty filling. Something that my Mother taught me when I was younger, before she passed.” Cait says, a moment of sadness washing over her before she realises that he had something to confess. “That’s what you had to confess? That I should be a professional cook?” She laughs and Harry joins her.

“No, no. When you asked me if I thought I had changed. The first thing that came to mind was not that I had grown remorse what I had done, but it was because I had fallen in love with you and I didn’t want to hurt you. I stopped because I knew that I could become a monster and not just hurt you emotionally, but I was afraid that I would attack you.” Harry says, his voice shaking slightly.

Cait forgets the spoon in the meat filling and turns around to face Harry, cupping his cheek and forcing him to look at her. “I know that no matter what, you wouldn’t allow yourself to hurt me. You barely let anyone near me without telling you to back down.” This makes Harry smile, which causes her to smile in victory at making him smile and feel somewhat better.

“Stop thinking you’ve won the greatest prize in the world.”

“But I have.” She says, plastering a cheesy grin on her face.

“You’re horrible.” He mutters, kissing her before she returns to making dinner. Harry helping her by getting the pastry and filling them whilst she prepares the tray and brushes them with egg before putting them in the oven. “The perfect team.” Harry says, making her laugh as they both set the table. Cait wishes it could be like this forever. “Don’t. Let’s not ruin this moment just yet. We still have some time.”

That night, after dinner and a nice luxurious bubble bath with Harry Cait curls into his chest in bed, listening to him breathing steadily. Slowly she drifts into sleep, but before she closes her eyes Cait looks up at Harry and mumbles sleepily “I love you.” This confession, which is nothing new broke Harry’s heart.

“I love you too. So much.” This makes her smile and slowly drift off into a deep sleep, feeling content in Harry’s arms. It wasn’t until a couple of hours later when Harry had moved her off of his chest and onto her pillow.

*Harry’s POV*  
He pulled the blankets and sheets off of himself and then placed them back over her. He kissed her forehead and placed a single flower and a crisp white card beside her on the other pillow. Harry hated himself for doing this, knowing how much it would hurt her, but he knew that a face to face goodbye would hurt her and himself more. He would never be able to leave if he saw her tears and he needed to keep her safe and stay away.

With one final look at the girl he loved he quietly left her apartment and didn’t look back in fear of returning to her side and never leaving.

*Cait’s POV*  
She awoke to an empty bed, knowing something was wrong when his side felt cold instead of warm, not like he had just gotten up to use the bathroom or made breakfast. It is then when she realises the flower and card.

Oh no.

Cait examines the flower, a beautiful Ambrosia. The meaning of returning one’s love and giving it back. Harry was not only returning the feeling of love that he had for her, but he was giving back the love that she had given him. It was at this conclusion that a single tear ran down her cheek. Cait opened the card to find that Harry, like his first card, had written to her a long message.

“Right now.  
You have mixed feelings.  
You hate me?  
Love me?  
Miss me?  
I wouldn’t blame you. How I decided to leave was stupid and I never want to hurt you, but this was easier, for the both of us. We both know that if I had stayed to say goodbye to you in person, then I would never be able to leave. And I have to Caitlyn. I can’t stay and risk putting you in danger. If I leave and you don’t know where I have gone, it means that they can’t hold you against your will or put you in harm’s way. I can’t risk you being hurt or in danger. If you knew and they had taken you, they know that I would come back to save you. I can’t be caught Caitlyn, they can’t know what I am.

How I left you was stupid and immature, and for that I am truly sorry, but I promise you one day I will come back for you, you just have to wait. I am not giving the love you gave to me back because I do not want it, I am giving it back because I know that it will make me weak and it will put us in danger. If you move on and find someone better for you, I will understand, but know that I will always love you. Do you remember that day in the field, when you wanted to test how far I could hear and I kissed you? You sang to me and I cherished that moment. Each time I felt alone or like I was going to slip up and attack somebody, I went back to that day and listened to the words you sang to me. They are my salvation, but they hold a deeper message, a message for you, that relates to this point in your life, when you are feeling alone and unloved. Just know that you aren’t alone, ever.  
And if you ever fall  
Know that I’m right here  
Don’t you worry  
I’ll always be by your side  
Don’t you worry  
The circle will never end  
Just know that we’ll meet again  
And we’ll always be together  
Forever always  
I am here  
Your heartbeat is disguised as my lullaby  
Be happy and know that I’m  
Watching you travel far and wide  
Waiting for us to meet again  
If you need me, yeah  
I’m in the wind  
Look for me friend  
I’m in the stars  
When you need me  
The heavens will send  
A message within  
Straight to your heart  
Just remember Caitlyn, no matter where I am, I will be constantly looking over you.  
I am your guardian angel.”

Cait reads the message over and over again, the tears falling freely. Her throat begins to hurt at how much she has cried and she can’t help but think how right Harry is. If he had stayed, he would have never left. He left to protect her and it was easier to say goodbye and not see each other’s heartbreak than to go through a difficult goodbye when she never wanted to let go of the person, never wanting to watch as the person she loves leaves her life, for what could possibly be, for good. Harry had said that he will come back when things are better, but she fears that things will never get better, that people will always be hunting for Harry. Cait just hopes that Harry was true to his word and remained her guardian angel.

After a couple of hours of crying and then a long cold shower, she shuffled back to her bedroom and picked up her phone calling the only person that could make her feel better.

*Half An Hour Later*  
Cait and Ebony were sitting on the floor of her living room, the coffee table pushed back and paperwork, notes and newspaper clippings strewn about on the floor. After Ebony arrived and hugged her and she cried and talked and laughed and sighed over a tub of choc ripple ice-cream because Harold, her cute café boyfriend, dumped her. No not Harry, the psychopathic killer that turned out to be a vampire, Harold, the café fling. Ebony convinced her that “he was stupid for dumping your cute, sexy arse and he was a jerk that didn’t deserve anyone as amazing as you anyway!”

Like the amazing friend Ebony was, she told her to show her Cait’s final project and then proceeded to tell her that she was going to put it together today, before Harry/Harold “dumped” her. At this, Ebony grabbed her camera, laptop, books and newspapers and sat her on the floor, pushed the coffee table back and lay out all of the notes, making Cait tell her in what order they were to go in.

At this rate she had completed ¾ of her assignment and stretched her back as Ebony read through one of her earlier journal entries of how he went into an episode. Luckily, she had edited all of the notes and videos to leave out any feelings, relationships and vampirism. Cait could occasionally hear gasps or ‘oohs’ coming from Ebony as she read another thing that happened, then proceeding to tell her if it was similar to her case study, Niall Horan.

It wasn’t until Ebony was watching the interview where Harry had just confessed to killing his first underage victim and started beating at his head, when she mumbled something under her breath.

“Hm?” Cait says, intrigued to hear what she had to say, that she mumbled, when everything else she said about him was clearly spoken.

“He’s insane!” She says, her eyes wide as she looks at Cait before they flick back to the screen of her laptop. Cait picks up a picture of Harry that she found in a newspaper article and cut it out when she had first started studying him. Cait smiles down at the picture in her hands, running her finger over his cheek, and very quietly, under her breath so Ebony doesn’t hear her, she speaks her mind.

“No, he’s brilliant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cried when writing this chapter, sorry if it did the same for you! (That was my intention, so sue me! :P) Love you guys! xx


	20. The Return And The Heartbreak

*Cait’s POV*  
Cait walks into school on a Friday, a week before school ends, apprehensive of the class that awaits her. She arrives at the door, pausing to take in a few deep breaths before pushing the door open to be greeted by her Professor and best friend.

“Good Morning Professor Hardings.” She says as she walks past him setting up his laptop to the projector. He doesn’t bother to look up as he mumbles a “Mornin’”. She feels a slight regret for how she acted at the ball, yet at the same time she couldn’t care less, knowing what he did to her, and nearly did to her. She takes her usual seat next to Ebony and lets out a little huff as she sits down. She turns away from her cue cards and open laptop to give Cait one of her classic blinding smiles and hugs.

“How are you holding up?” She asks, a stupid question, but she’s glad for the simplicity, not technically asking about him, but not 100% clear towards the assignment at hand that goes towards 80% of her grade.

“Good, alright I guess. I’m scared shitless and nervous like I’m about to sell a major organ, but good.” Cait says, watching the way Ebony’s mouth twitches in the corners. It’s then that they both laugh loudly, drawing the attention of Professor Hardings with an obvious scowl, making them both laugh harder, but trying to remain quiet, failing miserably. After a good two minutes of laughing until their sides hurt, because “there’s been too much sorrow lately”, they finally stop laughing, wiping her eyes from the tears that have gathered there, Ebony turns to her and looks at Cait unwaveringly.

“But seriously Cait, how are you?” She says with that look and oh crap, she means him.

“Honestly, I don’t know. At the moment I feel numb, like I have used up all the emotion that I have over this past week and I can’t stop the mood swings. Back when we got together, he told me that he would like to come and watch me present my assignment. He wanted to see the final thing, but, I guess not.” She finishes, bringing your eyes back up to Ebony’s face to gauge her reaction. She is also emotionless.

*Harry’s POV*  
I watched her as she walked in and sat down next to her friend, I heard everything that she said and felt a pang of guilt run through me when she mentioned how empty she felt for over a week. She still had the bright spark in her smile, but it never reached her eyes. I loved seeing her so happy, and now, I’m the cause as to why that spark is gone and she’s miserable. “He wanted to see the final thing, but, I guess not.” How much he wished he could walk down and pull her into his arms and say how of course he wouldn’t miss this for the world, but he stayed up the back of the lecture theatre, in the dark, listening to her voice that he has missed so much over only a week.

After a while, a flood of students poured into the lecture theatre and the dick of a Professor began the class. “Now who would like to start?” Harry rolled his eyes when no one put up their hand to go first, but then, out of the corner of his eye, a small, petite hand raised and then she stood up and walked down the steps of the lecture theatre. “Caitlyn thank-you. State the name of your case study and begin.”

“Good Morning Class. My name is Caitlyn Mitchell and for my assignment, I studied, analysed and interviewed, Harry Styles. Britain’s Serial Killer.” A round of gasps went around the room and soon there was light murmuring over the fact that she interviewed the “Psychotic Mass Murderer.” Harry’s smile grew at this fact in both an egotistical boost and in pride at Caitlyn’s determination. “Now, I know that a lot of you here today would think that I was mad for allowing such a man into my house each week to discuss his victims, but I assure you that Harry Styles is now a changed man.” This comment makes Harry’s heart swell with love for the girl that is protecting him. Harry did growl quietly at the fact that people were starting to whisper angrily at the fact that she was lying and that “such a man could never change”.

“Over the past couple of weeks, I have studied and observed the behaviours of Harry, and I have come to the conclusion that through therapy and many years of repression, Harry has improved and has since then, stopped murdering innocent people.” She says, becoming impatient with the constant murmurs.

“What gives you the right to call him by his first name?” What gives her the right to question Caitlyn? Harry fumed, he was so close to barging down there and setting them all straight, but he couldn’t do that, especially to her. She was strong, she knew how to take care of herself.

“Harry gave me the right Eliza. One of the first times I met Harry, he insisted that I call him Harry instead of Mr. Styles as he didn’t like the idea of being overly formal, especially in the situation of talking about his victims.” Caitlyn had a smug expression which ended with, Elise? Ella? Whatever, shutting up. “Now if there are no more questions, I would like to begin my presentation.” She said, looking over to Professor Hardings, awaiting his nod of approval before beginning with the note he left her. She kept it? His heart swelled again, soon enough, his heart will be bursting from his chest, that is, if he wasn’t dead.

“This is a picture of a note that I found one day whilst sitting at the local café, wedged between my books. This note in particular is what led me to meet the infamous, Harry Styles. It reads;  
In which you sigh and breathe,  
I cannot look away.  
Your simple sweet face,  
Haunts my thoughts today.  
I hear your heartbeat,  
As it quickens and slows.  
To your cheeks and neck,  
Through your heart how it shows.  
For I have watched you of late,  
Your beauty grows within you.  
Please do not fear this monster,  
For I have loved once too.” As she read it out she couldn’t help but smile, yet at the end she became choked and she lowered her head. Harry was so heartbroken that he began to move forward to comfort her before restraining himself. “I miss you so much.” He heard, looking up at her and seeing her mouth not moving. 

Harry couldn’t help himself.

“I miss you too, love. So, so much.” Caitlyn looked up immediately and searched around the room, but soon shrunk down again and took a steadying breath when she couldn’t find him.

“I had asked Harry in one of the first interviews to define what he thought a psychopath was. He promptly said that, that was him, but he was only saying that, because he believed that I saw him as a psychopath, a monster. He saw himself as a beast, but I saw him as a human and it took a long time to convince him that, that was how I truly felt. He then concluded by telling me that a psychopath is” She said, clicking the remote to change to a screen with a quote on it. “the failure to appreciate other people’s rights and beliefs and the distortion of reality into a self-serving perspective.”

“Harry’s behaviour in the beginning of the sessions was confined and he constantly flirted to cover the pain he was actually feeling. Psychopaths and mass murders were said to be emotionless and hard to reach, but it seemed to me that Harry was the complete opposite. He had all of his emotions in check and they showed from time to time, but he covered them because he was protecting himself. Here is a video of the second session I had with Harry. In this video, he confesses to the murder of a young woman and then continues to break down and become violent.” Caitlyn shows the video, smiling slightly when she hears the gasps at the point in the video when he starts yelling and hitting himself.

“Here is where I caught my first glimpse at remorse, for you see, Harry had killed his first underage victim and didn’t realise until I had told him that the age of the girl was 17. Harry had broken down and relapsed. Over the course of the three weeks that I saw him for, he relapsed a total of four times, due to guilt and due to memories of his past that he had repressed.” Harry still felt guilty for killing that young girl, but he felt worse because Caitlyn trusted him and that was the first time he broke any promise to her.

“Even from these slight setbacks, Harry had become more confident and didn’t feel as if he had to hide behind a charade. Harry opened up and eventually began to tell me stories from his past and he trusted me. I was able to ask more open ended questions and allow him to finish them, whereas, before I would have to ask specific questions or I wouldn’t get any response. Harry was a very noble, well brought up man. If at anytime he felt that he wronged me, I would soon find a flower and a crisp white card, with immaculate hand writing, apologizing for the smallest of things. What made this trait even more interesting, was that he chose specific flowers that had meanings that related to the situation.” Harry was enjoying hearing about himself. Alright, so he was a bit egotistical, but he loved how she portrayed him as the hero, rather than the villain. Something that no one had ever done for him. However, as soon as she was finished, Caitlyn was cut off by whatever her name was.

“Would you stop already?” Harry saw the fire in Caitlyn’s eyes. That’s it, Harry had to say something. “You are ridiculous, making up stories about how The Harry Styles was such a hero! You are such a liar! Do you really think that a psychopath like him could change because of someone like you? Really Caitlyn, you truly are pathetic if you think that we are going to buy this bull-” Harry is pissed.

“Maybe it’s you who is pathetic. Pathetic for thinking that Caitlyn would lie of all things, on her final assessment. You are pathetic for your outbursts.” Harry says, still standing in the dark. The entire class looking around but no one finding him yet. “I’m up in the back, right corner love.” He says to her in his mind making her smile grow.

“I am not pathetic.” The annoying prissy girl says, standing up and huffing, putting her hands on her hips.

“Then why are you trying to steal all the attention from Caitlyn, someone you obviously dislike.” This shut her up.

“Come out! You have no right to be in this classroom.” She yells out, not sure where to look.

“Her name’s Eliza.” Caitlyn says in her head.

Harry laughs, “Yet you have the right to accuse Caitlyn of lying,” Harry says, stepping out of the darkness as he says her name. “Eliza?” Everyone gasps except Eliza and Caitlyn.

“H-how do you know my name?” Eliza stammers, her calm demeanour vanishing and her face paling when she sees who steps out. A moment later, Eliza twists around, fuming with anger. “You set him up to this!” Eliza screams at Caitlyn storming down the steps of the lecture theatre towards her. Harry is furious, so he speeds down the stairs, not caring that he’s using his vamp speed. Eliza screams when she comes within a metre of Caitlyn to only be faced by a growling Harry in front of her instead.

“Caitlyn has told nothing but the truth. I promised her at the beginning that I would be truthful and let her interview me under two specific conditions; she would not take notes, and by the time she presented her assignment to you all, I would be gone, but I couldn’t stay away. Yes, you might say that I am egotistical and I only came to hear her talk about me, but I also came because I love her.” Gasps flew around the room and Eliza was fuming once more. Harry turned around, ignoring her. “I’m so sorry.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Harry heard from behind him, quickly turning around to be met with Eliza’s stupid face again. “What are we waiting for? He’s a wanted man, isn’t he? Someone call the police!” Eliza screams out to the other students and murmurs fill the theatre. Caitlyn moves in front of Harry as students start to file out of their chairs and start to advance on Harry. “Don’t you dare defend him Caitlyn!” Eliza screams in her face making Harry’s blood boil, his tipping point being when she gripped Caitlyn’s arm and squeezed tight enough for her to let out a yelp of pain.

Harry ripped Eliza’s hand away from Caitlyn’s arm and growled low and loud to Eliza, and then to the class. Immediately they began to back off and Harry took this opportunity. “Take my hand, now.” Harry said in his head to Caitlyn. She didn’t need to be told twice. As soon as Harry felt her hand in his, he picked her up, put her on his back and raced her out of the theatre and towards her home. “You’re going to be alright.” He said in his head to her, her only response was putting her head on his shoulder as he raced her home.

*Cait’s POV*  
She didn’t want Harry to take her home, she wanted him to take her to the café, re-live the moment they met or the many mornings she woke up to Harry outside her door holding a hot cup of soy mocha. She wanted to take him back to the field where they first kissed, or even take him to the river and sit with him in the sun, laughing and leaving all of this behind, but soon, Harry was lowering her to the ground of her driveway and she was looking him in the eye. A quiet “come” left his lips as he gently took her hand and led her inside. Harry continued through the front door and down the hallway, but she stopped at the entry to her house, not wanting to go inside, as she knows that she is only accepting the fact that Harry is really leaving her and all that the two of them have become, behind.

Soon Harry rounds the corner again to find Cait stuck at the doorway, deep in thought. His eyes soften as he can hear what she’s thinking. “Caitlyn, please.” Harry said, extending his arm to her.

“I don’t want to say goodbye Harry.” She says, getting choked up, but not letting herself cry. She will not cry in front of him. Harry lowers his hand and instead, he wraps his arms around her in a tight embrace.

“I know, I don’t either, but it’s for the best. I hate how they have to pull us apart, but I can’t risk you getting hurt, not because of me.” Cait lets out a choked breath and finally nods, allowing Harry to lead her inside to sit on the couch. Her mind replays the day when Professor Hardings attacked her. Cait fell to this very spot, in tears and shaking, unable to help the pain that coursed through her body. She felt as if she was on fire for every place he touched. Cait felt bile rise up in her throat, but before she could be sick, she felt a hand squeeze her knee. Jumping slightly, she looked over to see Harry begging her with his eyes. “Please, don’t, not, not today ok?” He says, softening on the last word.

Cait nods and leans into Harry’s touch when he strokes her cheek softly. Harry opens his mouth to say something, but she cuts him off. “Thank-you.” Harry shuts his mouth and tilts his head, his eyes wide, looking like a confused puppy. “Thank-you for everything you have done for me. Saving me from everything. God knows how many times I got in trouble and wouldn’t be here, was it not for you. That day with Pro-” Harry breaks eye contact, but she grabs his chin and forces him to look back up at her. “Professor Hardings.” She says, still holding his chin in place as he winces and looks at her sadly. “If you hadn’t been there, heard what was happening. If you had decided to leave me that day, I could have been hurt or worse, I could have died. You saved me from so much, and I could never show you or tell you how much that means to me, and now, I fear I never will be able to get that chance.”

Harry shakes his head. “I should be the one thanking you. You showed me that I can be different. That I can still be loved, even after so many years of bad decisions. You gave me a second chance Caitlyn. You gave me something that no one else has done for me in such a long time. You gave me love and you gave me hope. I don’t feel as if I have to hide myself and pretend to be something that I’m not. Something that I now hate. I hate myself for doing that to innocent girls, people that had families. I hated them because they had someone and I didn’t, but now, I have you.” Harry says, rubbing his thumb over her knee gently in a motion of calming and loving, but she still felt that sting of pain.

“You cheesy Sod.” Cait says, laughing as Harry mocks shock. “I love you.” She says, no longer laughing, but still smiling wide. Harry, however stops laughing and smiling all together, taking a while to think about whatever was on his mind, before he breaks his concentration and looks back up at her and smiles wide.

“I love you too, so much Caitlyn.” Harry said full of passion and, well, love, but why did it sound so, so…?

“Please Harry, don’t make this sad.” She says, cupping his cheek again before leaning in to kiss him on his forehead. “Why do you have to make this our goodbye?” Cait murmurs against his forehead. Kissing him one last time before pulling away, but she didn’t make it far before Harry was pulling her back into a tight hug, his hands running up and down her arms lightly making her lean into him.

“Because if I don’t make this our goodbye now, then I never will.” Harry’s voice breaking at the end was her tipping point as she let out a quiet sob as a single tear escaped, rolling down her cheek before Harry wiped it away with his thumb. “I have to keep you safe, and as twisted as it is, I can’t do that here.” Cait nodded, even though she wanted to shake her head and make him stay, she knew that she couldn’t manipulate his feelings just for her own selfish demise. “I love you, I love you, I love you.” Harry says, over and over, pressing kisses to her face in different places, tickling her and making her blush all at the same time.

Cait knows that he came to see how she did and then say good bye, so she steeled herself, turned around, just slightly to look him in the eye, and asked, with a slight chuckle “So how did I do?” Harry smiles down at her and then puts on his best Professor Hardings accent, getting it nearly spot on.

“Apart from the fact you brought a serial killer into our school and he tried to rip people’s throats out, I’d give you an A+.” They both laughed loudly, rolling slightly on the couch, still embraced in each other’s arms.

Cait sighs and looks up into his eyes, sparkling from how happy he is, making it impossible for her not to smile as well. Harry looks down and kisses the crown of her head, smelling her shampoo, trying to make the fruity smell last as long as possible. “So this is good bye?” Cait says, finally facing the fact at hand and moving out of his embrace, shivering and feeling a wave of nausea wash over her from the loss of his comforting touch. She turns around so she is back to her original position, facing each other with her knees touching just ever so slightly. He nods, sadly. Reaching out to cup her cheek, but pulling back at the last moment, knowing it would be so much harder to say goodbye.

Cait lets a tear fall as he wipes it away. Gasping at the contact his thumb makes with her heated skin before he pulls back. She stands, needing space to think, but also trying to forget all the things that have happened over these past couple of weeks. The touches, the whispers, the kisses and the love. His love, Harry’s love. Cait doesn’t realise her pacing until arms wrap around her waist, stopping her movement.

Cait pushes him away, his touch burning into her memory, making her heart clench as she knows she’ll just have to force herself to forget this very moment like it never happened to save herself from the heartache. She forces herself not to cry, but eventually the tears spill over, making a broken sob fall from her lips. Cait doesn’t look at Harry, already knowing that he has worry and heartache written all over his features. She doesn’t notice how Harry crowds into her space until he places his hands on either side of her face and places a soft kiss to her forehead. She closes her eyes, allowing herself this one moment of happiness for her memory to store it for those rainy days. “Don’t cry love, I promise, I’ll be watching.” He whispers against her forehead, before once more pressing a light kiss there.

Cait looks up to see those green eyes for reassurance, but they are already gone. All at once the air in her lungs is knocked out of her and she gasps a couple of times, trying to breathe normally. She prays that he can still hear her as she chokes out “I love you” and wraps her arms around her chest, trying to numb the aching there.

She hears his voice once more in her head as he too sounds cut off and hoarse “I love you too. Wait for me love.” Cait falls to the ground, sobbing loudly. Screaming out as she felt like nothing could fix her unless he came back.

“Please, come back. I need you here to fix me. I need you to make it all ok again. Please don’t leave me. I don’t want to say goodbye, I’m not ready.” Cait got no answer back. Knowing he was too far away now to hear her, she screams out as tears continuously stream down her face and onto the carpet. The only sounds throughout the apartment is her loud sobs and the quiet dripping of the kitchen sink.

Drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! :(  
> There is two more chapters, and the last one will answer any questions that you may have about the ending of this story. Love you guys! xx


	21. Twelve Months Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a really really short chapter, just as a brief summary (if you might say) of the end of the story. Love you guys! xx

*Cait’s POV - Twelve months later*  
Cait hears a knock at her front door and she placed the knife down, no longer cutting the carrots. She walks up to the front door, wiping her hands on the tea towel that is tucked into the front of her apron, and opens it slowly. She notices the flowers on the ground. Pink carnations. She smiled at the meaning, ‘I’ll never forget you’. Very, Harry. She sees the crisp white card in amongst the flowers.

She has missed his cursive script, she’s missed the way he curls the first letter of her name. She has missed his green eyes that always stripped her down to her true self, the eyes she can never lie to. Cait has missed his scent, his strong arms that wrapped around her small frame when she was hurt or crying, but most of all, she has missed the way her name rolls off of his tongue.

Cait opens the folded card to see a single line written there, “Look up.” As she does, she is met with those same brilliant green eyes. Cait takes in his curls that are messy and brushed to one side, she sees his smile grow wider as he looks at her wide eyes, but before she can take in any more of his stunning features, she feels his soft lips press against hers. “Can you not go one day without analysing me?” Cait giggles against his lips as he recaptures hers with his. “I have missed that sound.” He presses a final kiss on her forehead and she can feel him smile against her skin. He pulls her into his chest as his chin rests on the crown of her head. “I love you.” Cait sighs, content and calm. “I love you more.” He says sweetly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last Chapter up next! Remember, feel free to ask me anything that you might be confused on about the story. Love you guys! xx


	22. Epilogue

*Harry’s POV - 3 months after leaving Cait*  
Harry had no idea what he was doing in Ireland, but it was away from all of the craziness he left back in England. He walked down the streets of Mullingar and through a deserted park. It was cold out and looked overcast, the perfect weather for feeling nothing. He sat down on a swing and felt another wave of hunger rush over him. He didn’t want anything to do with his blood lust, but it was becoming overwhelming. Harry screamed out at his frustration, too weak to run and too hungry to make any rational decisions. “s’cuse me mister?” a small voice came from behind him. “are you ok?” Harry turned around and saw a two little girls, wrapped up in jumpers and scarves, holding hands. “we heard your scream” the one on the right said “and we wondered if you wanted to play with us?” the one of the left finished. “You could push us on the swing.” They both said in unison.

Harry felt a wave of hunger roll over him again and he shut his eyes before they saw them ink black. “No” Harry whispered venomously. When the urge to feed left him, he opened his eyes to the wide eyed girls, before he stood, towering over them and making them shuffle back slowly at how much taller he was than them. “No, I mean, I, just. Come here girls I’ll lift you onto the swing.” Harry said. What is he doing? Stop Harry, they’ve got to be no more than 8. The girls beamed at him and ran towards him, their arms up so Harry can pick them up. It’s then that Harry saw their eyes. Beautifully blue, like, no, don’t think about that. Harry picks them up and places one girl on his hip before turning in the opposite direction of the swing, but before he could take one step the girl on his hip was ripped from his arms and he turned around to find the other girl gone as well. That’s when he heard it.

“You decided it was much too cold to come out today and you ended up wanting to play and colour inside.” Harry continuously looks around, his hunger making it too hard to locate where the voices are coming from until he is being knocked off his feet from a punch to his jaw. “They were only 6! For god’s sake Harry!” Next thing he knew Harry was being sped down the road, but Harry didn’t want to go anywhere. Harry swung his fist and knocked the other body off of his feet. Only then was Harry brought face to face with his attacker by the collar of his shirt. Niall.

“Let me go!” Harry roared in Niall’s face, trying to squirm out of his grip, usually succeeding, but in his weak state Harry just gave up and slumped his body forward and collapsed into Niall’s arms, letting out the past two months emotions. Niall slowly rubbed his back before speeding the both of them into his house and onto the bed where Harry collapsed and curled into a little ball. Niall sat beside him on the bed, rubbing in between his shoulder blades to try and calm him. It was then that Niall noticed the pale complexion and the cold clammy skin that wasn’t from the misty rain that had started to fall.

“Harry, how long has it been since you’ve fed?” At this Harry whimpered and turned around, letting out a hoarse “Nearly three months” Niall sped down and poured half a blood bag into a mug and heated it in the microwave before running back upstairs and handed it to Harry who gulped it down quickly. “Whoa Harry! Stop, you’ll make yourself-” Niall said, but was quickly cut off when Harry started throwing the blood back up immediately. Harry groaned and curled in on himself. Niall took the mug from Harry and got a cloth to wipe majority of the blood off his face and clothes. “After so long without feeding, your body is rejecting large amounts of blood in one go. You have to pace yourself.” Another groan from Harry makes Niall laugh lightly before telling Harry to strip off and borrow some of his clothes. “You can use the guest bedroom if you like. Stay as long as you need.” Niall says, throwing a nonchalant hand gesture over his shoulder before walking out with the soiled bed sheets and Harry’s clothes.

*6 months after leaving Cait*  
Harry walked down the stairs, through the house and into the kitchen to find Niall separating a blood bag into two mugs before heating it in the microwave. “God, I don’t know how much longer I can handle spoon-fed blood.” Harry says, making Niall jump before turning around and grimacing at Harry. “Do you think I can try drinking by myself?” Harry says, hopefully, knowing that the urge to drink was constantly there as Niall only allows him soup spoons at a time. Harry can hear Niall contemplating it. “Look you can put a bloody tarp down if you want, but please let me drink more than just a spoon.” Niall laughs but eventually gives in, handing Harry his mug, taking a sip from his own, but watching closely in case.

Harry takes a tentative sip and swallows slowly before lifting the mug back up to his lips and inhaling as he sucks more blood into his mouth, another mouthful, breathe in the coppery aroma. A voice, a familiar voice. “Harry!” Niall. “You’ve gotta stop mate, you’re drinking too quickly.” Harry’s fine, he’ll be fine. Two minutes later, Harry finds himself with his head in the toilet bowl rejecting the blood. What is wrong with him? Why can’t he keep this down? “There’s nothing wrong with you, you just can’t go cold turkey and then expect to drink a blood bag dry without repercussions.” Harry groans again as another wave of blood surges up and out. By the time all of the nausea stops, Harry is shivering and pale. “You wanna try again?” Niall asks, rubbing Harry’s shoulder.

“No, no more. Just leave me alone.” Harry croaks. Niall opens his mouth to protest, but Harry has already heard all of his thoughts. ‘I can’t leave him like this.’ 

‘He needs to drink something.’ And so on and so forth. “Leave!” Harry yells at Niall who flinches.

“Harry” Niall breathes, but Harry has had enough.

“Go away! Leave me alone!” Niall steps back, never seeing this side of Harry before, so he speeds out of the bathroom and out of the house, the only indication that Niall is really gone is the slamming of the front door. Harry slumps down further on the floor, his head hanging as the only thing that rolls through his mind is her, her eyes, her hair, the way that she says his name and the way that her lips feel against his. Harry pulled himself up off of the floor and over to the sink to rinse his mouth out and splash water on his face, but when he looked at himself in the mirror, he saw red puffy eyes and tear stains on his cheeks. When had he started to cry? He felt awful and all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and listen to her breathing even out as she slips into a deep sleep, but he couldn’t risk her safety just because of his own selfish wants.

Harry dragged himself into the guest bedroom and flops down onto the bed without lifting the covers. He felt so weak and before he could get up and try and swallow one more cup of blood, he passed out cold on the bed. Niall came back half an hour later to find Harry unresponsive on the bed. His skin was pale, bluish and clammy. Niall rushed him a cup of blood and fed him with a spoon until Harry regained enough consciousness to sip small amounts through a straw.

*8 months after leaving Cait*  
Harry ran down the stairs and bounded into the kitchen, grabbing Niall in a head lock as a thank-you for the cup of blood, sitting on the counter. He skulled the drink and savoured the coppery taste before wrestling with Niall for his cup. “C’mon you weakling, don’t tell me I can still beat you after all these years!” Harry says, nearly getting his fingers wrapped around the handle before Niall flips him over his shoulder and onto his back on the kitchen floor.

“Nope! I win.” Niall says, smirking around the mug as he looks down at Harry still lying on the ground. “So much for beating me.” He says, extending a hand out in front of him to help Harry up.

*11 months after leaving Cait*  
“So, you going back today?” Niall asks, his subtleness light as ever, which is never!

“Yeah Ni, I’m going back today.” Which wasn’t the complete truth, but he needed to head back, keep an eye over her to put his mind at ease. Word of Harry Styles had finally began to die down in Brittan and as much as he craved for her love again, he had to wait that little bit longer, just to be safe, just to make sure that he wouldn’t ruin this like he did last time.

That afternoon, Harry left Niall’s house and headed back home. After this long, it felt weird saying that he was going home, yet somehow it felt like that’s what he was missing, these past two months he was afraid that his stomach churning was his body telling him that he was about to be sick, but really, he was only homesick.

As soon as he got into Brittan the next morning, he noticed the headlines that were posted on each paper on the doorstep of houses “STYLES IS DEAD” Harry couldn’t be happier to see his name in the paper. Was it sick to think of how great the world was now that he was dead? Of course not, but something bothered him. He felt sick again and then he heard it a soft whimper, like a young woman that was crying but didn’t want to be heard. Harry walked closer to the sound and there he found her, sitting in the corner and crying softly. “Are you ok sweetie?” Harry asked, confident that the child wouldn’t recognize him behind his ray bands sunglasses and grey beanie. The little girl looked up at Harry and sniffled loudly, rubbing her eyes with her fists.

“No, I’m lost and I don’t know where she is.” The girl says.

“Who sweetie? Your Mother?” The little girl begins to say something before Harry hears a woman fast approaching. Harry takes this opportunity to speed away as the girls attention is pulled towards-. “Cait?!” Harry whispers in shock. Harry’s heart breaks as he watches her pick up the small child and kiss her on the cheek.

“I was wondering where you were Celeste, come on Daddy is waiting.” At this, the small child bounced happily on Cait’s hip and clapped her hands.

“DADDY!” she screamed before turning to Cait and kissing her cheek. “Thank-you Mummy.” Cait blushed before putting the child down, stroking her hair and kissing her on the top of her head as a male figure walked up to Cait. Harry was confused and saddened. Of course she wouldn’t wait for him, but he couldn’t help think of the little girl. Cait always said that she wanted to adopt, but was this too soon? Harry’s blood boiled when he saw the unfamiliar man kiss her cheek and pick the child up.

“I’ll see you later little one! Be a good girl for Daddy.” She said, running her hands up and down the girl’s sides making her laugh loudly before she leaned in for a big hug, Cait giving in willingly and placing a light kiss to her cheek. Harry blocked everything out, feeling cold and angry when Cait stood there waving goodbye to the child, her child and hus- no, the man.

Harry didn’t realise that Cait was coming towards him until she bumped into him and mumbled a “sorry, I didn’t see you there.” Harry was shocked, she was looking right at him and she didn’t even make a move as if she knew him. Yes he was behind his ray bands and beanie, and yes he was standing in front of the sun, making Cait squint to look up at him, but it still made Harry angry and hurt.

“It’s alright, my mind was somewhere else.” He said in his usual slow drawl. Its then that her eye brows furrow together and Harry can hear her mind go into overdrive of “I’ve heard that voice before. Who are you? Where have I seen you before?” Harry mutters a “Never mind” before he starts to walk off. It’s when he has turned a corner he hears her gasp a quiet “Harry”.

*12 months after leaving you*  
Harry was waiting outside Cait’s house, listening to her friend stress over the fact that “he was gone for good and she should move on!” What little she knew. “But Ebony! I swear that was who I bumped into.” Her mind was whirring, Harry couldn’t hold onto a single thought of hers except the one that was constantly reoccurring ‘Harry’s back.’

Ebony went on to say that “Harry couldn’t possibly be back, he loves you too much to come back and risk you being in danger. Wait! When did you say you bumped into him?” Cait hesitated, what was the day? Celeste!

“That was the day I was with Celeste, why?” What was she getting at? It’s then that it all clicks for her and Harry is still left in the dark. “You don’t think that-? No!” What? What is happening, once again her mind is moving too quickly.

“It’s possible, didn’t you say he acted very snappy and offhanded?”

“Celeste is going through that faze of calling me Mummy.” Ebony gasped. “She never grew up with a Mum y’know, so she has always seen me as that Mother figure as I’ve watched over her all her life. I’m her God Mother, of course she would get confused!” Harry was an idiot! A complete and utter idiot! Of course she doesn’t have a child, of course she hasn’t moved on, it’s only been 12 months! “He thought I had a child, a husband?! I love him, how could he think I would just move on after such little time.” She was crying now and Harry was regretting ever coming back so early, so he ran.

Harry hated himself even more now that he was running away from her again. He was running when she was in pain and needed him the most. He needed to go somewhere, anywhere. It’s then that he found himself in the same café that he met her. Face to face with all that he felt when he saw her sitting in the booth seat, typing something on her computer and sipping a soy mocha. He couldn’t stop looking at her, the way that her eyes would furrow when she read something that was confusing or confronting.

Harry let a tear slip and he quickly wiped it away before anyone saw, but the little old lady that ran the shop didn’t miss the way Harry slumped into the same booth she studied at, nor did she miss the way the tear rolled down his cheek before he wiped it off, unable to stop another one that quickly followed.

She shuffled over to his table with a tray of tea, milk, sugar and a small plate with three banana sugar cookies on them. Harry didn’t take notice of the little old lady until she spoke softly, but she knew Harry would hear her. “On the house love, always on the house for you.” She said, a genuine tone that made Harry want to jump out of the booth and run away. Harry flinched, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him from moving an inch. “Don’t run off love. I’m not gonna harm you.” Harry was shocked, how did she know about him? “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice my own Harry?” She said as she walked to the front door, turning the ‘OPEN’ sign to read ‘CLOSED’.

Harry shut down his defences and his self-pity came out full force. Harry crumpled in on himself and let the tears flow freely as an arm was slowly wrapped around his shoulders. “I’ve screwed up. I’ve lost her forever and now I can’t see her because everyone knows who I am. So go ahead, call the cops, rake in the reward money and get as far away from me as possible!” Harry may have heard wrong over his sobs, but he swears he heard the old lady laugh. Actually laugh at what he just said.

“Harry? Do you really think I would turn you into the police? You really don’t know who I am, do you?” Harry looked up at her, eyes puffy and tear stained cheeks. He shook his head, confused. Who is she? “I let you stay an extra year just because you stuck up a fuss at leaving Katherine. I let you keep that bloomin’ horse in the backyard throughout the week because you said it made her happy. My Harry who I would always sneak an extra banana for at snack time. I fell in love with those curls at bath time and those bright green eyes when I told you that your friend had to go away because a Mummy and Daddy loved him very much and he was going to live with him. My heart broke when you would ask me if you could visit him and when you cried yourself to sleep because ‘I don’t have a Mummy or Daddy who loves me enough to adopt me’. Harry you were like a son to me and when you came to the door stoop in your uniform, kissing me on the cheek to say goodbye, I didn’t stop crying until I got your letter the next day telling me that everything was amazing and bright and so warm over where you were.” Harry gasped listening to this woman tell him about his childhood living in the orphanage.

“Margret?” Harry choked out. “Sister Margret?!” She nodded, smiling sweetly. “How-I mean-what? I-I thought you-passed away with everybody else at the orphanage?” She shook her head but stopped short.

“I-I nearly did. I was lying on my bed, in pain, and when I heard the front door open I saw all these men in white and they injected something into my arm, and it felt so cold. Next thing I knew I was waking up and, I don’t even remember falling asleep, I was cured. I no longer felt ill or sick. I walked out to see all of these bodies lying lifeless under white sheets and I wanted the men in white to save the children, but it was too late. I’m so sorry Harry. I know that she fought so hard to keep the children and herself well, she kept saying that she had to stay well because you were coming back for her. She kept fighting for you, but when the disease took over she told me to tell you that she loves you so much and that her love will always be with you. When she passed on I told her that you knew, that his love will guide you back to him, and I believe that it has.” Harry choked on another sob and tears started to fall from Margret’s eyes as well. Harry sniffled and pulled away just slightly.

“So you’ve been here this whole time?” Harry asked.

“Of course I have. I watched you the day you walked into this café and laid eyes on her. I know that you love her Harry, maybe not as much as Katherine, but I know that she loves you too. Katherine would want you to move on. So go back there and move on with her. Tell her how much you love her.”

“You’re my guardian angel.” Harry whispered. “I never remembered where I had heard that from, but I always told Katherine and Caitlyn that no matter what, I was their guardian angel. It was you, you kissed me on the forehead and told me every night that-” Margret cut Harry off.

“I am your guardian angel. I will watch over you as you sleep and keep you safe from harm, even if tomorrow you are taken from my arms, I will always be your guardian angel. Sister Judith would always say that there’s no point in her putting you to bed if you would just ask for me anyway. You wouldn’t sleep, couldn’t sleep unless I reassured you that I was there for you.” Harry and Margret laughed. “You were a cheeky little thing. I remember always catching you sneaking into the pantry to get a banana, or if I didn’t catch you in the kitchen, I caught you eating in bed. I never understood your love for bananas.”

Both laughed and wiped away the tears that had gathered, now talking about years long since passed until Margret turned her attention back to the situation at hand. “Now, now Harold. I may be old, but you cannot trick me as easily. Go back to her! Tell her how you feel. It’s been nearly a month now since news has spread that you are no longer alive. I think it’s time to come out of hiding and live a long and happy life with her.” Harry went to open his mouth to protest and say something, but Margret put her hand up to stop him. “I know why you left Harry, I know that you stayed in hiding until people eventually assumed that you were dead, but it’s been long enough. She has been hurting long enough now. She comes in at least once a week with her friend, and although she laughs and has fun, I can see it in her eyes that she misses you and it’s killing her. That day you bumped into her, she can’t stop talking about it and now she’s starting to question herself, wondering if she finally went crazy or if you were really there. She’s lost faith in you, but worse, she’s lost faith in herself.” Margret stopped and looked up at Harry who was now standing.

“I know what I have to do.” Margret knew, she knew that Harry had to say goodbye again, but this time, she knew that it wouldn’t be forever.

“I know. Go, but this time, make sure you come back and give me a proper goodbye.” Harry laughed and pulled Margret into a tight hug, kissing her cheek before thanking her and racing off into the early evening light. They talked all day? I guess you would if you haven’t seen someone for over 149 years.

Harry pulled up to the flower shop just as they were beginning to pack up. He pulled out a bouquet of the brightest, sweetest smelling carnations he could find and walked to the front counter, pulling out a crisp white cardboard slip that was in the stand saying ‘Feel free to write a heartfelt note to the one you love!’ 

“Well, someone’s arrived just in the nick of time! How can I help and who can I make it out to?” The chipper voice behind the counter asked, making Harry wince just slightly at how happy he was.

“Do you mind if I write it?” Harry asked, watching as the man behind the counter shook his head. “Thanks” Harry mumbled as he quickly wrote two words, and put the card in a clean envelope before writing her name on the front, just in time for the man to finish wrapping the flowers in white crepe paper with a powdered green plastic wrap going around the outside. “£8.50” Harry dug into his pocket and pulled out a £10. Harry put the change into the charity tin, the coins clunking as it hit the metal and just before the bell on the top of the door chimed to tell the storeowner of his departure, Harry heard a “Thank-you, have a good night.” Harry stopped and turned, smiling at the man and wishing him well.

He sped down the street and into her estate, seemingly unable to run fast enough back to her. Its then that he arrived, putting the bouquet down on her door step and knocking four times before stepping back into the middle of her drive way, waiting for the door to open. As it did, his breath escaped him, unable to accept the fact that he left all of this behind. It’s then that he realised her eyes were on his and that he couldn’t stop smiling. He sped forward, surprising her before she smiled. “Can you not go one day without analysing me?” She laughs, giggles. “I’ve missed that sound.” He kisses her, sweetly and then a little bit more fiercely, trying to show much he loves her and is sorry for leaving her behind. “I love you.” Harry’s eyes close as Cait confesses her love for him, a feeling of pure electricity flowing through his body and making him feel stronger than ever before. “I love you more.”

It’s then that Harry tells her that he was sorry for ever leaving. “I know how much it hurt you to see me leaving, but please understand I did it to protect you. If anything had happened to you-” Cait stopped him by pressing a kiss to his lips, making him splutter a bit before he relaxes into it.

“Harry, I know why you left. I know why you came back. I know that it’s safe now for us to be together and I know that you will never leave me again, so please just kiss me and tell me that you love me.” Harry laughed at that and scooped her up before walking into the house kissing her passionately. Harry finally felt happy, something that he hasn’t felt for so long, and that night, Cait cooks dinner, but instead leaves it when Harry starts to kiss her again, but this time, they don’t stop until they are upstairs and have professed their love for each other at least a hundred times over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it guys! I hope you liked it and feel free to comment down below or send me a message for prompts or just to say hello! :) Love you guys! xx


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